REWRITTEN: An Inuyasha Story
by ksavvyx3
Summary: Kagome, a half-wolf demon, stumbles upon a village one night in her efforts to get away from a herd of angry demons. Here she meets Inuyasha, a human and dedicated protector of the Jewel of four souls... let the story begin. AU. Pairings IY/Kag, San/Mir and some others.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Here's the first chapter, originally uploaded 2-16-2011 and edited 11-15-2012. I hope you enjoy reading and I'd love to know your thoughts if you decide to write a review. :3 _

_Disclaimer: All original Inuyasha characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. _

…

**Chapter 1: First Encounter **

The forest was silent.

This normally wasn't a problem for Inuyasha, in fact he rather liked the occasional slow night. On nights such as these he could rest peacefully knowing that the village and the jewel of four souls that his people had sworn to protect were safe. He would often sit with his back resting comfortably against the shrine that housed the jewel, chatting casually with whoever might be on guard duty with him that night or resting his eyes for a few brief moments, all while his sword, the Tessaiga, rested in his lap, close enough to be ready in an instant should a demon appear.

This night was different.

It was the full moon and the full moon was well known for bringing trouble to the village. Demons were more active on nights when the moon was at its brightest and not just in the village where Inuyasha and the jewel resided. Attacks and death tolls were notoriously higher throughout the land, although no one was sure why.

On the full moon demons of all shapes and sizes would come, craving the power of the jewel of four souls and the taste of human flesh and blood. Everyone was always on their toes ready to defend the jewel and themselves, not unlike tonight. Tonight however it had been dark for hours, sunrise was on its way and not a single demon had shown itself.

"Something's wrong." Inuyasha announced, glaring towards the forest that cradled the back of the shrine in an arc of thick trees.

Tsutomu, Inuyasha's friend and partner for the evening, gave the swordsman a sidelong glance. His scruffy brown hair was held on top of his head in a messy bun and his eyes were a gentle blue. He wore a blue colored haori, covered in black hatch marks, a pair of brown hakama that blended in with the soul below his sandal-clad feet.

"Inuyasha-sama, please," he began, straightening himself from where he'd been leaning against the wooden frame of the shrine's doors. He swung his axe over one shoulder as he approached the now anxiously pacing swordsman. "Normally we would be in over our heads but tonight there is nothing! Perhaps the gods thought we deserved a rest, consider it a blessing!"

Inuyasha turned his fiery golden gaze on the poor man beside him, snarling, "How can you be so calm?" His next words were through gridded teeth, "Even on a normal night this is unusual, but tonight is the full moon! They're conspiring!"

Tsutomu rolled his eyes.

"Inuyasha-sama, you're too suspicious…ever since what happened with Akane you've been more anxious about—" His words died abruptly in his throat when he realized what he'd said and he met Inuyasha's eyes cautiously. "I-I apologize, Inuyasha-sama!" he nearly shouted, "I didn't mean to…it wasn't my place to mention her. I apologize."

"Cut that out, Tsutomu," Inuyasha ordered, disgusted by his friend's repetitive bowing and sputtered apologies. "And stop referring to me that way. We're friends," he turned towards the shrine, sliding open the screen, "just don't use her name again."

"Yes, Inuyasha-sama…Inuyasha…" Tsutomu said with a sigh of relief, lifting his head and regarding the man curiously as he stepped inside the shrine, picking up a bow and quiver of arrows before stepping out again and closing the door behind him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to scout things out, you stay here," he ordered, slipping the quiver's strap over one shoulder and securing the Tessaiga at his waist. He gave his companion one last glance before heading into the forest.

…

Kagome tore through the forest at record breaking speeds, swatting at the low branches as she passed to clear her path. Despite the fact that she was in the middle of a heavily wooded forest, there was nowhere to hide, not from the type she was running from.

Her long black hair fanned out behind her as she pushed herself to go faster, her angry blue eyes flashing with determination. _'I'll be damned if I let myself be killed by a bunch of useless vermin like these,' _she thought to herself, though, even if she got away there was still a chance she'd bleed out from her injuries.

They were bad, especially for a human body such as the one she currently resided in. Her haori was steel blue and a white kosode peeked out from beneath her collar while her lower half was covered with dark gray hakama that tied snuggly at her ankles. None of this would have been noticeable now however due to the stains of blood and dirt that covered the majority of her clothes.

'_If only I was in my real body, then I could dispose of them all easily,' _she thought, scowling up at the moon that only stared back at her innocently. She could hear them behind her, demons, hundreds of demons. How on earth she had attracted this many to her on such a night was beyond her.

"Fucking ridicules…" She spat, "Of all the times to—" her words were cut off as she lost her footing and tumbled to the ground in a bloody, broken heap. "Shit."

"You won't get away…"

"He, he, he, she fell… look at how helpless…"

"Stupid girl… this is only what you deserve… you killed my brother!"

"Ugh," Kagome moaned as she made it to her knees, glaring at the mountain of glowing, hungry eyes behind her. "What in the hell are you all waiting for, huh? If you're going to kill me…"

"Ha, ha, ha, wench…" one demon addressed her, slithering out in front of the rest and dragging its long, ugly body around her. It looked like a large, red snake; only with one giant blue eye that took up its entire forehead and a mouthful of jagged teeth. "We would much rather watch you suffer and devour you…piece by piece…"

Howls of laughter rang through the air as the demons crawled, slithered and flew into the clearing where she had fallen, completely surrounding her. Kagome glared up at the snake like beast in front of her. It looked familiar. Perhaps it was the one whose brother she'd killed earlier that day.

'_It doesn't matter,' _she thought, puckering her lips and spitting into the beast's large, blue eye. _'I _will_ make it out of here alive.' _

"ARRRG!" the demon screeched, reeling back and shaking its head furiously. A second later it shot back to her level, its scaly nose nearly touching hers. "You bitch!" it nearly howled, "You will not get away with that!"

Before the monster was able to act on its promise however, it was silenced by an arrow that struck it right through the side of its scaly head. The beast reeled back a second time, it's cry much louder this time as it tried pointlessly to shake itself free from the wooden projectile. Still alive despite the arrow sticking out from either side of it's skull, it spun around to glare into the trees from where the weapon had been shot. The surrounding demons parted their bodies, all eyes landing on the red clad stranger standing partially hidden in the shadows.

"I was wondering why there were no demon attacks tonight. I guess I found my answer." A young man said as he stepped from the shadows and into the moonlight where he would be seen. His hair was long and black, falling past his waist in length, and he wore all red, aside from the white kosode visible only beneath his collar and breaks in his sleeves. A sword was secured at his hip and in his hand he still held the bow he'd used to shoot the demon with.

He glared at the mass of demon through narrowed, golden eyes, and then his gaze snapped to Kagome, still in a heap below the herd of beasts. "Hey!" He snapped at her, tossing the bow to the ground in favor of drawing his sword, "Get over here where it's safe!"

She didn't need to be told twice. She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the sting of her injuries each time she moved, and took off in his direction. The demons, weak but not stupid, lunged after her.

The woman's eyes widened as a blinding light was ripped from the sheath as the man drew his weapon. When the light cleared seconds later, he held a blade in his hands that resembled the fang of a dog, white fur spun around the hilt. He only waited long enough for Kagome to dive behind him before he brought the sword down upon the hundred or more demons that were charging after her.

"Wind scar!" He howled into the crisp night air, and following his shout were the tortured screams of many demons as they were torn apart by the force of the wind. When the dust settled nothing remained but four wide and lengthy trenches dug into the earth, looking as if they'd been caused by the claws of a large dog.

Kagome's eyes grew wide as she looked at the damage from over one shoulder. Then she slowly lifted her gaze to watch as the man sheathed his weapon and scooped his bow up from the ground. She bit back a moan as she forced herself to her feet, trying to look natural as she brushed herself off. Once she got away from the red-clad stranger she'd have to find a safe place to land until the sun rose, that is, if she wanted to make it through the rest of the night alive.

"Umm…" she started, glaring at the man's back, "that sword…"

"Tessaiga," The man said easily, and Kagome shuffled backwards a few feet as he turned towards her. He raised an eyebrow at her behavior, but didn't question it. "What's your name wench?"

She bristled at his rude way of addressing her, already sure she disliked him, but answered the question despite herself, "my name's Kagome."

He gave her a once over and nod of acknowledgement before introducing himself, "I am Inuyasha." His eyes narrowed as he went on, "now, what is a human like you doing out in the forest in the middle of the night fighting demons that you obviously can't handle?" he snapped.

Kagome opened her mouth with a snappy retort on the tip of her tongue but stopped herself from voicing it, her eyes drifting the ground. "Well I…" she muttered, "We're both human."

"Obviously," he said with a roll of his eyes, "however I am trained to protect the jewel of four souls and am amongst the strongest in my village and in this country. You…" his unusual golden gaze dropped to the twin swords on either hip, "despite the fact that you have a weapon you didn't even use it. You clearly aren't fit for being out here alone."

Kagome's glare darkened as she fought to restrain herself. _'If it wasn't the full moon I'd be teaching you to keep your big mouth shut, human.' _She thought furiously. Instead she settled for changing the subject, "jewel of four souls…what on earth are you talking about?

Inuyasha sighed, reciting the words as if he'd said them a thousand times, "it's a powerful jewel that grants wishes of power to whoever holds it. It must be protected from both humans and demons alike who seek it…" he hesitated, and Kagome noticed with curiosity the way his expression grew sad, although only for a moment. "Nothing good has ever come from the damn thing. It only causes problems for everyone involved. That's why it must be protected." He explained, then made a grab for her arm, "come to the village. I'll show you the way, someone can bandage you up and give you something to eat…"

"No!" Kagome shouted, eyes widening as she caught the shocked look on her saviors face. she blushed and quickly put another couple feet in between them, "I mean, that is…" she started uncertainly, "I'm much better on my own. I'll be fine. I've got to get going anyway."

"Are you kidding me?" Inuyasha snapped, "I'll be lucky if you don't bleed to death on the way to the village!" He took another swipe at her, intent on grabbing her and dragging her back to the village kicking and screaming if he had to, but she managed to dodge his hand. His eyes widened as he gaped openly at her. For a human, and a seriously injured human at that, she was very fast.

"Why you…"

"I don't need your help." She said, interrupting him. She didn't wait for him to protest again, instead she turned and jogged deeper into the forest.

"Damn it woman!" Inuyasha howled after her before giving chase, "come back here! You'll only make your injuries worse!"

He made it to her side easily enough, but when he reached out to grab her she spun around and latched onto his arm, twisting it painfully and shoving him face first into the dirt. "Wench!" he cried after her, grunting when she kicked him in the ribs for good measure before taking off. He was furious when he sat up, wiping the dirt and leaves from his face and hair.

He looked around as he stood up, "wench suddenly got a second wind huh?"

She was gone.

Not that he was bothered him any, that woman could curl up and die alone in the forest for all he cared. He frowned, pulling back the sleeve of his haori to stare at the angry purple bruise already forming on his arm. He shook his head, grabbing his bow from where it had fallen when she pushed him down and turning back towards the village.

'_At least the demon problem is taken care of,'_ He thought, glancing up at the sky as he made his way home, smiling at the sight of the first rays of sun coming over the horizon.

The sun was rising.

…

_AN: First chapters finally complete (edited 11-15-2012)! So what do you think? Is it horrible? Should I write more? Let me know! :D _

_Toodles! – K _


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Chapter 2… I may not have made it very clear in the introduction, but all of the original characters have been altered in some way, no one is the exact same as they were in the Anime/Manga. To clear a few things up… aside from the golden eyes Inuyasha looks 100% as human as he does on the night of the new moon in manga/anime. Yes, he has Tetsusaiga and is fully capable of using it, he's also got his fire rat armor… all will be explained later in the story. :) Anyway, enjoy chapter 2!_

**Chapter 2: Hello Again**

One week later…

…

Inuyasha stood wiping sweat from his brow as he did so. He lifted his spade up and rested it over his shoulder as he looked down at his handy work. The fields had been prepared and were ready for planting, but that would come later, after he had some well deserved rest.

"Working hard today Inuyasha-sama?"

The man turned to see Tsutomu approaching him and offered a smile. "Sure, are you heading back now?"

"I am."

The two headed back towards the village together, diving into conversation about the upcoming journey. The village had been under the protection of the Shikon no Tama, or jewel of four souls for many years now and in order to ensure its protection they had made a pact with the four gods, of the North, East, South and West. The four gods agreed to keep the demons directly in their commanding area under control and thus lessen the amount of attacks that the village received each year from demons seeking the jewels power.

Of course the village had to pay them for this service, but the payment made every three years was much more easily accepted then the lives that would otherwise be lost. So every three years the village sent out several of their top warriors to travel to the four kingdoms, give their payment and renew their agreement. The time had come again and the village was preparing to say goodbye to some of their best protectors for nearly 6 months as they traveled around the country

"So you're going Inuyasha-sama? Last time you didn't…"

"Ah, last time I was preparing for it but I was injured then… and before that I was far too young, Otoosan wouldn't allow it…"

Tsutomu smiled. "But this year he's fine with it?"

"I offered to go." Inuyasha said, his good mood suddenly turning dark. "Otoosan hasn't even mentioned it. He hasn't mentioned anything for…"

"M-my apologies Inuyasha-sama…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and gave his friend a sideways look. "Tsutomu we've been friends since we were able to walk… how many times do I have to tell you to drop the honorifics?"

Tsutomu chucked, rubbing his neck anxiously. "I… I thought… since you're soon to be taking the place at the head of this village, I might get used to it. I wouldn't want your Otoosan to be angry with me…"

Inuyasha frowned. "Don't mention that either." He growled. His father was getting older, and if the stubborn man ever decided to step down from his thrown it would be Inuyasha, as his only son, who would take his place. The truth was Inuyasha wanted absolutely nothing to do with leading a village. He was far to absorbed in honing his fighting skills to sit around all day watching others do all the work. The battle field was where Inuyasha thrived.

Tsutomu was about to start spouting more unnecessary apologies when the two men were distracted by a young voice. They looked up to find a young child running towards them, her arms waving and her long brown hair fanning out behind her. Inuyasha smiled as he knelt down to catch the girl in his arms.

"Rin, what are you doing out here?" He asked gently as he stood, Rin held securely in his arms. "You're going to get your new kimono dirty…" he fingered the checkered cloth of one sleeve as he said this, frowning as he noticed she'd already done so.

"Aniki!" The girl chirped, brown eyes glowing with mischief. "I was playing with Satoru-kun and the others and I saw you coming and had to say hello! Are you coming in for lunch?" She asked as he set her down on her feet.

The man smiled. "I am now."

"Inuyasha-sama…" Tsutomu called, "I'll see you later, you too Rin!"

Inuyasha nodded to him as he took his young sisters hand and led her inside. "Let's get something good to eat, come with me."

…

Kagome eyes narrowed as she tore into the flesh of a recently caught rabbit, easily stripping the fur away with her claws. Now adorned with a set of fuzzy black wolf ears that sat atop her head and a matching tail, she was much better suited for defending herself against a large number of demons with her own demon powers. _'Half demon…' _she reminded herself with a sigh, taking her first bite of the fresh meat.

The scent of burning flesh caught her nose and she turned to where she could see smoke rising steadily past the tree tops. _'I guess the village found the demon I took down earlier.'_ She thought, taking another bite of meat. Ever since she'd returned to her normal body she'd been taking down multiple demons on a daily basis. They were everywhere. _'Because of that jewel…? I wonder if that's the village that human lives in? Inuyasha was it? Weird name…' _

She froze as the scent of humans overtook the scent of the demon's burning flesh. They were coming closer. She gathered up the remainder of the rabbit meat and hightailed it into the forest. She had no interest in coming in contact with any more humans during her stay…

…

Inuyasha lay restlessly on his bed sheets that night, his mind filled with visions of the upcoming months he would spend away from home. He sighed, sitting up and looking towards his little sister, sleeping soundly under her covers only a few feet away. "I'll miss her…" he whispered.

After a moment of watching the girl slumber, he gave himself a pat on one cheek. "Damn it… I'll never get any sleep at this rate…"

With that said the man threw off his covers and stood. He grabbed Tetsusaiga and headed out into the night. The village was deserted at this time of night, aside from a few dogs, who glanced at him curiously as he wandered aimlessly down the road. He paused at the last house, staring out into the dense forest in front of him. For the past week demon activity had been lower than usual. Most were thrilled to have a break from fighting, but Inuyasha worried.

"Ever since that night…" he frowned, that woman had shown up in the forest on the full moon and when she left she seemed to take most of the demons with her. _'Who was with the bitch anyway? She was pretty beaten up and yet she still…'_

Inuyasha scowled as he stared down at his arm where only a few days earlier a nasty bruise had been healing. _'She didn't have enough strength to bother putting up a fight against all those monsters but she had no problem knocking me to the ground when I tried to help her!'_

He was suddenly awakened from his thoughts when the all too familiar prick of a demon's aura caught his senses. He grinned, he'd only felt it for a second but it was close; he could easily catch up to it before it got away. With that thought in mind Inuyasha took off into the trees without a thought.

Moments later when he caught the beast he realized why it had only managed to stay in his tracking range for a short time. All that lay in front of him was a corpse of what could have been a potential outlet for his current frustration. "Damn it!" He snapped, pulling his sword from his hip and stabbing the monsters rotting flesh. "What the hell is going on?"

Then another thought crept into his head. When he'd sensed the demon back in the village it had defiantly been alive and moving, something had to have killed it at that moment. He frowned as he glanced amongst the trees. Was that why the demon attacks had been dwindled down to nothing in the past week? Was there something bigger and stronger out there tearing them down and staying out of tracking distance?

"Shit… that has to be it…" Inuyasha snapped, quickly sheathing his sword and heading deeper into the forest. His heart raced as he pulled on all his strength to seek out whatever could be killing the monsters. A gentle aura touched the edge of his senses for only a second and he took chase immediately, muscles coiled in excitement for what he was sure would be a challenging battle. That's what he needed right now, something he could take out his frustrations on and, if even for a short while, get his mind off of the upcoming journey.

He came to a stop as he approached his unsuspecting prey. He had pinpointed it to the trees, but that was the best he could do. "Come out here damn it, I know you're there!" He shouted into the branches, eyes wearily searching for any sign of movement. A moment passed before he heard a gentle rustling in the leaves to his right. He snarled, creating a very dog-like sound from his throat and ripped his sword from its sheath as a very human looking creature stepped out of the shadows.

She appeared to be the same age as him, but Inuyasha knew better. Atop her head stood two furry black ears, and she had a tail. She stared back at him with cold blue eyes and quirked an eyebrow when he didn't move. "Did you want something?" She asked, her voice sounding strangely familiar to him.

"Y-you…" He sputtered for a moment, suddenly forgetting about his intent to tear the demon-woman apart to satisfy his anxious mind. "Who are you?"

She was quiet for a moment. "Kagome."

For a minute he just stared, unsure what to make of her answer. Then everything clicked into place. The human woman that he had saved in the forest a week earlier had the same long black hair, cool blue eyes and emotionless voice, but she had been human. He made a choking noise in the back of his throat. "You… were that human from earlier…"

She didn't answer.

"Why in the hell were you human? Are you a shape shifter? Was that just some sort of dirty trick to get me to…" He paused as his mind ran over their conversation from the week before. "You… you're trying to get to the Shikon no Tama aren't you!" He lifted Tetsusaiga in between them and resumed snarling at her.

The demon backed up quickly, her body growing ridged at the sight of the sword. She obviously remembered Inuyasha tearing down her attackers with only one swing of the massive blade. Inuyasha smirked at the sight of her discomfort and crept closer until Kagome found herself pinned to the tree behind her.

"What's wrong bitch… you scared? Answer my questions!"

She squirmed for a moment, looking for an easy way out before returning her gaze to the human in front of her. "I… I'm not a shape shifter…"

Inuyasha was not impressed. "Why were you human then?"

"Inuyasha…"

Both were startled when an unfamiliar voice entered the clearing. An older man stepped out of the brush, his gaze raking over Kagome for a moment before he turned to Inuyasha. His eyes were dark and full of wisdom. "Sheath your sword Inuyasha…"

"B-but, Myoga-sensei…"

"Don't question me." Myoga interrupted him easily, beckoning the stressed swordsman to his side. Inuyasha obeyed easily enough, sheathing his sword and coming to the old man's, but not without sending a death-dealing glare over his shoulder at his demon opponent. Once his student had made his way over Myoga once again turned his gaze on Kagome, now fidgeting at the sight of another potential threat.

"You are a half demon are you not?" Kagome flinched and Myoga continued. "What is your name—and what business do you have in this forest?"

"Kagome…" She answered, now looking frustrated rather then threatened. The "half-demon" comment had apparently not set well with her. "I'm just passing through and…" She spared a glance at Inuyasha. "I have no idea what your "shikon no tama" thing is, nor do I have any interest in it…"

"Why you—!"

"I see…" Myoga interrupted his flustered pupil once more. "How long do you plan on staying, if you don't mind me asking?" He smiled then. "My village doesn't take kindly to strange demons roaming about. Interested in the jewel or not, you could say we have had… past intruders that have not given us a positive outlook on demon society…"

Kagome rolled her eyes, already turning to head back into the forest. Her guard had dropped considerably once realizing the Myoga posed no threat to her, unless asking her to leave the area was considered threatening of course (it wasn't). "If any of the other humans around here are anything like him…" She nodded in Inuyasha's direction (who growled at her). "Then you can be assured that I won't be staying very long…"

Myoga chuckled at this, putting a restraining hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Well then, we will leave you in peace. I only ask that you don't stay long…"

"Myoga-sensei!" Inuyasha protested again, sparing another glance at the departing half-demon. "Why would you let her get away like that? She could be lying… she could be…"

Myoga shook his head, raising a hand to silence the young man's sputtering. "Did you take a chance to look at her aura? It is pure; there is not a drop of evil inside it. If she had been after the Shikon no Tama her aura would be black as the night sky." The older man then took a moment to take in Inuyasha's frusterated expression. He smiled. "Inuyasha… you are too busy living in the past. There are demons that are worthy of your trust, you just have to see with an open mind." With that said he took Inuyasha's shoulder and pushed him back in the direction of their home.

…

Kagome watched the two men disappear from a safe distance. Her curiosity was piqued by the old man's last words. 'A past… so that's what's got that Inuyasha so damn anxious, huh?' she shrugged her shoulders and turned to leap away.

_Annnd there's the end of chapter 2! Just in case there was any confusion… Myoga is very much human (looks the same though, short, chubby and gray haired) and is Inuyasha's instructor in the swordsmanship/demon slaying dept. He's no longer the wimpy flea demon that doesn't stick around for anything serious! ;) More to come soon; let me know what you think! Toodles! – K_


	3. Chapter 3

_Alright folks, chapter 3 is here! Finally! Rin is a trouble maker, wandering off into the forest alone and this time she has someone watching her! Wonder who…? And Kagome is indecisive, should she stay or should she go…? _

_Anyway, thanks for the reviews folks, I really appreciate it. :) _

_To answer juusan's question… _

_Kagome's outfit: she's got similar clothes to Inuyasha in the Anime/Manga and by that I mean she's wearing a (white) kosode (shirt) underneath a green jacket, which has a (dark blue) fire-like deign on the left shoulder and black obi/hakama (belt/pants). Sorry but I just couldn't see her running around a leaping from tree to tree… without pants. She isn't wearing anything on her feet. _

_FYI Inuyasha also has a vest over his fire rat fur (think Shippou's fur vest, made of cloth and not tucked in) that I think symbolizes status in feudal Japan as many of the son's of village leaders throughout the Anime/Manga seemed to have something of the sort. Inuyasha's is purple with two thick black stripes on the upper shoulder area. In case anyone is wondering, he does have shoes (!) and his rosary. _

_Feel free to correct me if I got any of the spelling/Japanese names for clothing wrong in there…_

_Phew… now on to the story! _

**Chapter 3: Decide**

Rin smiled as she gently plucked a few leaves from a nearby vine. "This is…" She frowned then, "I forgot. I'll bring it to Eri or Yuka or Ayumi, I'm sure they remember!"

She added the leaves to her nearly full basket and continued moseying down the woodsy trail. Rin knew every twist and turn down to the very last bend where the path went back towards her village. When she was a young child she'd taken this route many times with her older brother, and more recently she had taken this trail with one of the older girls from the village while they pointed out to her which plants were best to get and which ones to avoid. Now she took the trail regularly and usually without supervision. Inuyasha hated the thought of his younger sister wandering through the forest on her own, but as long as she didn't get caught it wasn't a problem, right?

Rin giggled and started skipping playfully along the route. She'd easily been able to sneak out when Ayumi (her babysitter for the day) hadn't been paying attention and she most likely had a search party after her at this very moment. Inuyasha would be furious as always and would be shouting orders to anyone who would stand around long enough to listen to him. _'Funny… I always take the same route. What's there to be so angry about?'_ She thought, shrugging her shoulders and wandering deeper into the woods.

…

Kagome scowled up at the overcast sky above her.

'_This is stupid… why am I even questioning myself? That human… Inuyasha… he made it clear that he didn't want me around. Why in the hell would I have a reason to stay here?' _

She spared a glance to her left. She could spot a few houses dotting the horizon through places where the foliage wasn't quite as thick. '_Maybe… it would just be nice to belong somewhere for a change. When was the last time I was with my pack? It's been years…'_

She sighed and slid from her perch, landing easily on the ground a good distance below. She needed to take her mind off of things. _'Time for some demon hunting…'_ that thought brought a wicked grin to her lips and she took off deeper into the forest.

…

Rin paused from her task to glance over her shoulder. _'It feels like I'm being watched.'_ She thought, worry knitting her brow. Her eyes raked the trees for anything out of the ordinary but found nothing. With a shrug she went back to work.

Seconds later a branch snapped behind and she froze again, turning slowly to look behind her. "Is…is anybody there?" she asked the trees timidly. No one answered, but she wasn't taking chances. "I'm going home." She told herself, snatching up her basket and running back to the path. She'd only strayed off for a moment, but she'd traveled farther than she had thought.

She was almost there, twisting through the trees and ducking under low branches, when a dark shadow loomed over her.

…

Kagome watched the corpse of a recently destroyed demon rot away to nothing but bones. Satisfied, she let herself fall backwards into the grass, peering curiously up at the sky. _'I should leave.'_ She thought. _'So what's holding me back? I could have left last night…that's what I should have done…'_

She sat up then, scowling. _'Enough hesitating, I don't need a bunch of human's to make me belong. Half demons aren't supposed to belong…' _

She pushed herself up and gave one last glance in the direction of the village before walking in the opposite direction. As she turned to go however, the wind blew gently across her face bringing with it the scent of a new demon. Without a thought she turned in the direction of the vile scent, intent on hunting the beast down. '_It's probably after that Shikon no Tama…just like the rest of them.'_ As soon as the thought crossed her mind however she stopped. '_What am I, their guard dog?'_ She thought angrily. '_I don't give a damn about their stupid jewel! They're strong enough to take care of things on their own…' _

As she turned to go, once again traveling in the opposite direction that of the human's village a terrified scream tore through the air, making her pause. '_I don't care. I don't care. I don't care.'_ Kagome chanted in her head, as if thinking those words would cause her to believe them.

The wind blew, this time a little stronger, and carried with it the faint scent of blood, human blood.

"Damn it all!" Kagome snapped, turning and tearing off into the woods, following the fowl scent of demon flesh and blood.

…

Rin let out a sharp scream as she fell to the forest floor, dumping the contents of her basket everywhere. She didn't have time to gather the plants back up. She scurried back to her feet and took off running again. The demon that was chasing her was some sort of giant insect, of what kind she wasn't sure. She'd never paid too much attention when her teachers were rambling on and on about all the different types of creatures that roamed through the forest. All she knew now was that this monster was chasing her and she wasn't headed for the village any longer either, the demon had managed to get in front of her and chase her off in the opposite direction.

She cried out again as she tripped on a large root and fell to the unforgiving forest floor, catching herself with her hands on the rough ground. _'Aniki… save me…'_ she thought helplessly as she turned to see the monstrous creature loom over her. _'Please!'_ she cried in her thoughts, closing her eyes and burying her head under her arms.

Seconds passed.

When the seconds turned into a minute Rin peeked bravely out from under her arms only to see a carcass of the demon lying in the grass behind her. "What…?" She asked, pushing herself up on her knees. "What happened to it?"

"Hey."

Rin jumped and spun around so fast she nearly fell over in the process. A human woman stood behind her, quirking an eyebrow at the young girl's antics, or at least this woman looked human on first inspection. Once over her initial shock Rin could tell that this person was anything but human, she had the ears and tail of a wolf. "You- you're a demon!" She shouted scooting backwards a few feet to distance herself from whom she was sure was a new threat.

She remembered her brother telling her once, _'all demons are dangerous, but the ones that take a human form are even more so. They are more powerful, and they can manipulate your mind into thinking they are your friend. Some even change shape…'_

For a moment the demon-woman almost looked…hurt. Then, before Rin could be sure, her blue eyes flashed with anger and she turned away, presenting Rin with her backside. "Yeah, anyway you're safe now." She said over her shoulder. "You should get back home before any more of those monsters decide you look like something to eat."

Rin frowned as she watched the demon-woman walk away. _'She's not going to hurt me…? But Aniki said…' _

The young girl took in her surroundings then and her eyes grew wide suddenly. _'I can't recognize anything!'_ she thought, terrified. _'I'm lost, that demon…it…it chased me all the way out here!'_ The village houses were no longer visible through the branches, and she couldn't even see her footprints in the dirt, everything had been brushed away by the insect demon when it charged after her.

Without a second thought she leapt to her feet and took off after the departing demon-woman. _'I know Aniki said they were dangerous, but she's my only chance! Besides… she seems…different…'_

"Wait!"

Rin didn't have to go far. The woman was waiting for her, staring over her shoulder wearily as she let Rin approach. "Umm…" Rin spared a glance at the demon-woman now in front of her before averting her gaze to the ground. "I…I'm Rin." When the only sound that answered her was the gentle breeze rustling the tree branches and a few birds chirping in the distance she peeked upwards again. The woman was giving her an incredulous look.

Rin shrugged inwardly. _'She doesn't seem to want to hurt me.'_

"Well…?"

Another moment passed, then, "Kagome."

"Oh." Rin was suddenly shy again, her eyes downcast and her fingers tugging at her obi. "Umm…"

Kagome's patience was growing thin. "What do you want?" She snapped, wincing when the words came out a bit harsher then she intended. Rin flinched.

"That demon that was chasing me…it chased me away from the village and I'm not sure where I am." Rin said, sparing the demon another glance. "Please!" Rin shouted then when she saw the hesitant look on Kagome's face. "If you don't help then…"

Kagome sighed. "Kid…I'm really not the type of person you want to ask for help."

"Please!" Rin begged, staring helplessly up at her. "Please…"

There was another pause between them before Kagome finally spoke. "I'll take you to the edge of the forest's edge, no farther."

"Really?" Rin asked, ecstatic. Kagome nodded. "Oh thank you, thank you so much!"

Kagome nodded again, watching the young girl bow gratefully and then go about gathering what she could of her torn basket and the plants she had collected. It wasn't much. _'What have I gotten myself into…?'_ Kagome thought, _'if the villagers see me then…'_

She stopped then, sniffing the air to be sure. _'That's right… I smelled blood before.' _

"Hey." She barked, catching Rin's attention. "You're bleeding aren't you…?"

"Oh…you can smell it…?" Rin asked, holding up her hands. "I fell when the demon was chasing me, I guess they got a bit scratched up."

Kagome frowned, kneeling down to the girl's height and examining the tiny cuts. It really wasn't anything series, in fact the wounds had already stopped bleeding, but the potential for infection was still there. The half demon reached into her jacket, pulling out a small container (that Rin thought looked rather fancy the way it's material shined in the sunlight) and opened it. Inside was a sort of gel, which Kagome dipped a finger into and proceeded to rub all over the injured skin.

Rin winced at the contact. "It stings…"

"Yeah," Kagome glanced up at her once before returning to her work. "My mother gave it to me as a child for when I…" she paused then, making a face and quickly applying the rest of the medicine before standing. "Never mind."

'_This demon…'_ Rin thought, watching as she returned the container of medicine to her jacket, _'is not anything like the monsters my brother talks about in his stories. She's different, I can tell. I think Aniki would like her.'_

She smiled then, and reached out to grab Kagome's hand in hers. Kagome stiffened, staring down at Rin with wide, skeptical eyes. Rin ignored the look however, "Can we go? You know the way right…?"

Kagome nodded dumbly, still staring, before remembering her agreement and giving the air a sniff. The village wasn't too far away, a ten minute walk at most. _'Then I can finally get out of here…'_ Kagome thought as the two walked. She glanced down at the little human walking beside her, _'But this kid…she's different than the rest…' _

…

"She WHAT?" Inuyasha howled, bearing down on the poor woman he had chosen just hours earlier to watch his younger sibling while he worked. "You know she likes to run off, didn't I tell you not to let Rin out of your site?"

"I'm sorry Inuyasha-sama," Ayumi said, bowing apologetically, "I was only going to be out for a few moments but then I started talking with Yuka-chan and Eri-chan… Rin-chan must have slipped away then…"

"Why you…"

"Don't yell at her!" Yuka snapped, stepping in between the two bravely. "You're wasting time! We should be out looking for Rin-chan, not bickering over who's right and wrong!"

Inuyasha sputtered helplessly for a moment before he turned and took off to look for his younger sibling.

"Yuka-chan…" Ayumi said, watching her friend in awe, "You're brave.

Yuka laughed. "He's just worried. It's not such a big deal anyway… he knows where to look."

…

Rin clung to Kagome's hand, nearly dragging the half-demon down the path towards her home. At first the young girl had followed Kagome's direction obediently, but once she passed the Goshinboku tree (which she pointed out to the half-demon enthusiastically) she knew where she was and took over.

"We're almost there!" Rin called out over her shoulder, "Hurry, hurry! I want Aniki to meet you!"

Kagome stiffened at those words and came to a sudden halt right near the forest's edge. She had absolutely no intention of meeting any more human's from Rin's village. She already knew three, and that was plenty.

Rin tugged at her hand. "Come on Kagomse-san, he's really nice, I'm sure he'll want to thank you for saving me…"

"Rin…I don't think…"

"Rin!"

Kagome's words died in her throat as she heard a much too familiar voice calling the child's name. It was soon followed by the familiar sight of a certain swordsman as he ran up the hill towards them, worry creasing his brow.

"Aniki!" Rin shouted joyfully, releasing Kagome's hand and taking off towards her older sibling. "Aniki, guess what?"

"Rin…" Inuyasha grabbed his sister's shoulders as he knelt down in front of her. "What were you thinking running off like that again? I've told you it's dangerous…" he spotted the scratches on her hands then, taking her wrists and examining the wounds. He scowled at her. "What happened?"

"It's fine, really." Rin said, smiling brightly at him, "Kagome-san was there to save me…see?" the girl pointed then towards the forest's edge, where the half-demon still stood, shaded partially by the trees. She jumped when the attention was brought to her.

'_Shit, should have gotten away while I still had the chance…' _

"You!" Inuyasha snapped, spotting her. "What are you still doing here?"

"You're welcome…" Kagome said sourly. "I was just leaving…"

"Bitch! What do I have to thank you for?" He snapped again, now making his way towards her, one hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Wait!" Rin called out, effectively bringing her brother to a halt. "You already know here Aniki…?" She asked looking between the two. "She's not dangerous, really, she saved my life…"

Inuyasha paused, now turning to face the half-demon with a slightly less murderous look. "You…saved her?"

Kagome squirmed under the attention. "Uh… yeah…"

"She was really great!" Rin called over her shoulder, now standing (to Inuyasha's horror) just in front of the half-demon. "She was really nice too! The demon chased me deep into the forest and Kagome-san helped me get home!"

"Rin!" Inuyasha snapped, now fully unsheathing Tetsusaiga. "Get away from there right now!"

Rin frowned. "But…"

"Hey, Rin…why don't you do like he says?" Kagome said stiffly. "I've got to get going anyway, so…"

"You're leaving? Why?"

"Umm…"

"Rin." Inuyasha called. "You heard her, she has to go." He glared at the demon. "Come here."

"Do you have to go…?"

"Rin!" Inuyasha snapped. The girl sighed and left her new (reluctant to be) friend, returning to her brother's side obediently.

"But you know Aniki, you really should thank her…" Rin pointed out now, smiling over her shoulder at Kagome. Kagome looked worried. Inuyasha looked murderous.

A moment of silence passed before, "thank you." The man ground out. It didn't sound at all grateful to either adult but Rin to be seemed pleased so no other words were exchanged. Kagome disappeared into the forest quietly and Inuyasha and Rin returned to the village.

…

Later in the evening when the sky was dark and dotted with a few bright lights Rin was found still awake. "Aniki…" The girl brushed her brother's hand away. "She didn't hurt me… I promise…"

Inuysha scowled at his sister. "You're very lucky she didn't Rin. I've told you how dangerous the forest can be. I don't want you going out there alone…understood?"

Rin made a face. "But…"

"Understand?" Inuyasha barked, this time leaving no room for argument.

"Fine." Rin replied sourly, "You're no fun Aniki." She grumbled, turning away from him and heading towards her bed.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe Rin, you know that…"

"…I know." The girl responded after a moment, listening to the sounds of her father and Myoga talking in the next house. The houses were close enough (and thin enough) that she could often hear the village leader talking with Myoga or Inuyasha or any of the other villagers that he had conversations with on nights like these. She couldn't hear the words, but she didn't need to hear words to know what they talked about.

'_The journey is coming up soon…'_ Rin thought, biting her lip, _'and Aniki will be leaving.'_

She glanced over her shoulder to where her brother rested, just on the other side of the fire pit. _'I don't want him to leave…' _

…

"You called for me, Takahashi-sama?" Myoga asked, taking a seat in front of his leader. Takahashi, Taisho was a tall man, with the same amber eyes as his son and a long mane of gray hair. He towered over most of the villagers and that in addition to his cold gaze and equally cold demeanor made him an intimidating sight for most people. _'He wasn't always cold…'_ Myoga thought. _'Before Rin was born…when his wife was still alive…'_

"Myoga, good of you to come." Taisho said his tone dry and emotionless as always. "We need to talk about the journey that our warriors will be embarking on in just a short time. I've prepared my lecture for tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes." Myoga frowned, "however Kohaku and Inuyasha are the only two warriors prepared to leave at this time Takahashi-sama. With the recent attack we lost two of our top warriors and one was injured, Akio hasn't returned, although I wouldn't advise sending him for his background might cause problems…"

"Akio is no less of a danger to any demon then my son."

"Pardon me Takahasi-sama… but I do believe your son has a more open heart towards demons then Akio does…" The old man said, not trying to hide the small smile that crawled across his face. "Akio doesn't seem to be able to forgive them for what they did so long ago."

"We're getting off the subject. Taisho stated then, "Are there no other villagers that would be strong enough to make the journey? What about someone from a nearby village?"

"Takahasi-sama…. They are scheduled to leave in just a week; there would be no time to prepare for that." Myoga said, "and any more warriors from our village and we would be putting the safety of the other villagers and the Shikon no Tama in jeopardy."

Both men went silent for several moments then, their heads bowed as they came to the full realization of the dilemma they were in. Normally there were at the least four of their warriors sent to the four kingdoms, and on occasion they had sent as many as ten. Sending two warriors would be far too dangerous, the chances of that many people making it even to one kingdom was slim.

'_Are we really that poorly numbered this year?'_ Myoga thought, _'I could not forgive myself if Inuyasha and Kohaku met their doom because they were unprepared for the journey. That is my responsibility as the head of the fighting department, and Takahashi-sama's as the village leader. And what if something happened to Inuyasha, he is next in line to lead the village…'_

"Myoga." Taisho said, breaking through the other man's thoughts. "You mentioned a demon…half-demon in the area recently, is that right?"

"Yes, that is correct but what does that…" Myoga paused, eyes wide. "Takahashi-sama are you proposing that we send her out with the men? I…I'm not sure sending a demon would be a good idea, especially with Inuyasha, he only has so much patience…"

"We may have no other choice." Taisho said. "What was this half demon's name?"

"Kagome, Takahashi-sama, but she may have already left… and I think you may want to reconsider your options before sending—"

"Enough." Taisho said, cutting Myoga off and sending him a stern look. "Take Kohaku, and go find this Kagome. Tell her she'll be paid well, and bring her back to meet with me. I want her at the lecture tomorrow afternoon."

With that said the older man stood, dusting himself off and headed towards the back room. "That's enough for tonight…" He paused, glancing over his shoulder at the still shell-shocked Myoga. "Don't disappoint me my friend…"

…

_AN: Chapter 3 is done! Yippee! So… I know the story is a little bit slow at the moment, but it's might be there for another chapter or two before the action and adventure kicks in. Introductions are HARD WORK! Anywho, let me know what you think! _

_And I've decided to add this little feature…_

_Chapter 4 preview: Myoga and Kohaku hunt down Kagome, who is skeptical as always… but agrees to attend a speech presented by inuyasha's father the next afternoon… and Rin isn't very obedient. ;) _

_Toodles! – K _


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey all thanks again for the reviews and all of the suggestions I get will be considered. I've tried to add more character description into the actual story so no one has to wonder what people look like. Sorry for the long wait, but for future reference, updates will probably be once a month. I've actually started chapter 5 though, so maybe that will come quicker? Anyway, on to the story… _

**Chapter 4: Loose Ends **

Kagome glared through the tree branches at the village below. The humans had all gathered together near the forest, no doubt preparing for the speech the old man, Myoga had requested she attend. _'Might as well get this over with then…'_ She thought, leaping from her branch and walking past the shade of the trees and into the sunlight where she could be easily spotted.

Myoga was the first to catch sight of her and beckoned her closer with a smile and a wave of his hand. Inuyasha spotted her next, and the look he directed at her made her shiver. Then Rin spotted her, and despite her brothers efforts to keep her close she easily darted away from him and past the village borderline, up the hill and to Kagome's side.

Kagome entertained the thought of running for a moment when she saw Inuyasha following his sister up the hill (not looking nearly as excited to see her as Rin had), but restrained herself. They had asked her to come so she wasn't in any danger, yet.

"Kagome-san, you came!" Rin chirped, grabbing the woman's hand and tugging her along as she wandered back down the hill towards the villagers, gathered and waiting. "Kohaku-kun told me you agreed to come, but I wasn't sure…"

"Yeah…" The half demon watched Inuyasha carefully as he followed after them. _'He's going to be a fun traveling partner.' _Kagome thought wearily as she followed Rin. She sighed and gazed out at the pool of unfamiliar faces now watching her as she approached. No one looked any happier to see her then Inuyasha had. _'Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to this after all…'_

…

_The night before… _

_Kagome was well on her way out of the village when her keen hearing picked up the distant thunder of horse hooves. Her ears perked as she turned and took a deep sniff. 'The scent of that older man… Myoga… and an unfamiliar scent…' _

_She made her way into a small clearing that she'd only past through moments ago. Here the forest had thinned out a bit, giving plenty of room for two horses (as she'd decided there were by the scent) to come in. She could tell when they picked up on her aura and the horses slowed as they weaved their way carefully through the forest to meet her. _

"_What do you want?" Kagome barked as the two men entered the clearing with her, already taking in the unfamiliar face. The man Myoga had brought with him was more of a boy then a man really. He was young, younger then Inuyasha had looked anyway, but his deep brown eyes held the wisdom of an older man. He had a short head of dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and unlike most men she'd seen from the village (granted, only two) he had a rather foreign looking outfit. He wore a sleeveless black haori and tight fitting black pants that looked to be made out of some sort of demon's hide. His boots, coming up to mid-calf were made of a similar material as the pants, but much thicker, and around his knees, waist and lower arms were some sort of protective guards, all purple in color. He also had a massive chain sickle weapon strapped to his back. _

_Myoga caught her wary glance and smiled reassuringly at her. "Kagome-san, this is Kohaku, another student of mine. He means no harm; we only came to offer you a proposal." _

_Kagome didn't look any less skeptical. "What kind of proposal?" _

"_Perhaps you have heard of the upcoming journey some of our villagers will be taking in the next few days…" Myoga started, at Kagome's blank stare he continued, "Then perhaps you have heard of the four gods of the North, South, East and West?" This time Kagome nodded. "Good then. The Shikon no Tama, because it is so powerful, is under the protection of the four gods. They keep any threat to the jewel that is directly in their controlling area under control, and we pay them for their services. However, every three years this agreement must be renewed and a payment must be made." _

_Kagome didn't like where this is going. "How does this involve me…exactly?" _

"_I'm glad you asked." Myoga said then, "Unfortunately our numbers have been down recently and we only have two of our best fighters prepared to leave in the next week, Kohaku is one of them." Myoga waved his hand in the boy's direction. "Inuyasha is the other. Now, sending only two of our warriors would be suicide…despite how strong they are, but if we let anymore villagers leave the village then we would be putting the Shikon no Tama in danger." _

_Myoga could see Kagome's hesitance, and so quickly continued. "You have the strength and endurance of many humans, and with you at their side our two warriors would have a much higher chance of making the journey safely. You would be well paid of course…"_

"_I'm not interested in money." Kagome snapped, "Just what exactly do you think I'd use it for? Me? A half demon…?" _

"_Err…well then perhaps something else…" _

"_You have a weapon, right?" Kohaku spoke up now, startling the others. "Perhaps our sword smith could…"_

"_Yes, Toutousai…" Myoga jumped at the chance to find something that might interest his wary business partner. "He's a wonderful sword smith; he made Kohaku's weapon… and Inuyasha's sword as well. I'm sure he'd be happy to offer you his services." _

_Kagome gave that a moment's thought. 'Inuyasha's weapon is ridiculously powerful, and I can sense extreme power coming from Kohaku's chain sickle also… it would be beneficial to have a weapon that powerful for sure.' Her eyes narrowed then, 'Especially when I find that bastard who killed Kaasan.' _

"_Is that good then?" Myoga asked. "Inuyasha's father is giving a lecture tomorrow afternoon to the villagers. He is the leader of the village, Tasisho, Takahashi-sama. He would like you to attend, even if you don't plan on travelling with our warriors." He offered her a smile. "I do hope you consider our offer." _

…

Back to the present…

"Kagome-san!" The half-demon jumped, turning in time to see Kohaku running up to her side. He smiled. "Don't think too much of the villagers… they aren't used to demons inside the village lines, at least not friendly ones."

"Right."

The crowd of humans that had gathered nearby parted suddenly as another figure weaved through them, making his way towards Kagome. He was tall, with the same golden eyes as Inuyasha and a long head of gray hair held back in a thick braid. _'That guy…'_ Kagome thought as he made his way closer, _'He's the leader of this village.'_

"Otoosan…"

Kagome glanced over her shoulder to see Inuyasha's scowling face. This time his unpleased expression didn't seem to be directed at her however, but the man he had called _'Otoosan'_. Kagome raised an eyebrow at this. _'Do they not get along then…?'_ Kagome thought, glancing back and forth between the two. Both men seemed to size each other up upon Taisho's arrival. _'Guess not…'_ the half demon thought with a sigh.

"Takahashi-sama," Kohaku spoke, bowing respectfully. "This is the half demon, Kagome-san. She has offered to consider our proposal."

Takahashi, Taisho smiled at the half demon. "No answer yet?" He turned to the two warriors then, his smile melting from his face. "Kohaku, Inuyasha, you two go get changed and help with the final preparations."

Both men bowed to their leader and moved off obediently, disappearing quickly into the crowd. Kagome watched them go, a forlorn look crossing her face. _'Damn, this guy even makes Inuyasha seem comfortable.' _

"Kagome…"

The half demon jerked as he spoke her name, turning slightly to glare at him out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah, what?" She barked, making no effort to sound friendly.

"Good to see you, it's been a while." Taisho continued solemnly, "Pity what happened with your mother."

Kagome growled, softly enough to not draw unwanted attention but loudly enough for him to understand. "Don't talk about that." She snapped.

"Well now, it's been several years now hasn't it? You should be over it by now." He didn't give her a chance to respond, "I do hope you decide to accept our offer. Our village would rest easier knowing that our warriors are safe on their journey. The lecture will be starting shortly." With that, he turned to go.

Kagome watched him go, still growling softly in her throat. She remembered years back, when she was only a pup, being introduced to the Takahashi, Taisho by her mother. Of course he was quite young back then too, but no less intimidating. _'I didn't like him any better back then.'_ Kagome thought with a snort. _'Even though Kaasan told me I should…'_

A gentle tug on her hand brought her back to the present and she glanced down to find Rin, still gripping her hand firmly. _'She's still here… I forgot…'_

"Kagome-san?" She asked, cocking her head to the side as she watched her favorite half demon with curious brown eyes. "You know Otoosan?"

"Uh…" Kagome pulled a face, "well it's kind of a long story, some other time, ok?"

Rin seemed to consider this for a moment, then smiled and gave Kagome's hand another tug. "Ok, do you want to watch the lecture with me? Come on, I'll show you where to go!"

Moments later the two stood together at the front of the crowd. Rin still clung to Kagome's hand as she watched in excitement for her father to arrive. Kagome sighed, glancing at the humans near her. Aside from Rin, no one stood within 10 feet of her. Some of the younger children glanced at her curiously from the safety of their mother's arms, however when the women noticed Kagome staring in their direction they would shield their children protectively and move deeper into the crowd. _'What in the hell happened here that's made them all so hostile?'_

"Hey, Rin, What are you…"

Kagome glanced up to see Inuyasha standing beside them now, glaring at her. "You…"

He was wearing different clothing then his usual fire-rat robes and dark vest. Now he wore an elegant kimono that was black in color. The cloth had beautifully woven designs across it of a wolf, who stood at the edge of a rocky cliff, head held high and howling to the moon, a tiger, two of them actually, that traveled across the bottom of the kimono, a dragon, that wrapped itself around his left sleeve, and a dog that did the same on his right. The animals were all woven in lavender and splitting the wolf and tiger apart was a silver obi that strapped his sword to his side. His hair too was different and was now pulled back in a thick braid.

"Aniki! You changed quickly!" Rin said joyfully, but then frowned as her brother pulled her away from the half demon's side quickly. "Aniki…'

"Rin, I told you to stay away from her…" he growled, pulling her behind him and sending Kagome another glare. "And you stay away from Rin." He snapped at her.

"Inuyasha, Kagome-san…please, try to get along at least until Takahashi-sama is done."

Kagome quirked an eyebrow at the old man Myoga as he arrived with Kohaku at his side. Kohaku had also changed his attire to that which matched Inuyasha's, however his hair had been pulled into a bun that sat neatly at the top of his head. "Tell him that." Kagome said, jerking a finger in Inuyasha's direction, "He's the one that has the problem."

"Hey!"

"At any rate, the lecture will be starting soon. Why don't you three go wait there…" Myoga directed Kohaku, Inuyasha and Kagome towards the top of the hill, just at the forest's edge.

'_This must be where the lecture is made…'_ Kagome thought as she took her place beside the two men and faced the crowd. She felt uneasy suddenly as over a hundred pairs of eyes looked up at her, most of them displeased, disgusted, or angry at the sight of a demon, worse, a half-demon standing amongst their warriors. Her ears flattened and she shifted her gaze to the ground._ 'I really, really hate this idea…' _

"Kagome-san…?" She jumped when Kohaku rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. He smiled. "I'm sorry Kagome-san if this is uncomfortable… our village just needs some time to adjust. Most of us have learned to not trust demons."

Kagome nodded, before slowly returning her gaze to the ground. _'Yeah… adjust… assuming I stay long enough.' _

A sudden lift in the voices of the villagers below was heard as Taisho began to make his way up the hill. He too wore an elegant kimono similar to those that Kohaku and Inuyasha adorned. Taisho also had a thick wrap of silver fur over his shoulders and strong armor that covered his chest, shoulders, lower arms and waist. His long gray hair was now held high in a high ponytail.

"Greetings my people," He shouted to the crowd, rewarded with an uproar of approval from the villagers. They shouted his name and clapped their hands cheerfully, urging him to go on. Taisho gave the crowd a nod to silence them before continuing. "As you all know the time has come to send our strongest warriors out to ask once again for the protection of the four gods!" His statement was once again greeted with a thunderous cheer from the crowd.

"Unfortunately, with the recent attack on our village we lost several of our men, and more were injured." He took a moment of silence then to appreciate those who had been lost before continuing. "But those who were lost are in the hands of Kami-sama, and those who were injured are in the hands of our healers and they too are well taken care of."

"We now have Inuyasha, my son, and Kohaku, a young but very skilled warrior planning to leave in just a short time. However the journey is a dangerous one and to send only two…regardless of how strong they are, would be suicide, so we have asked the half demon, Kagome, to join us. "

Kagome flinched as a hundred disapproving pairs of eyes turned to face her, trying to ignore the angry whispers of the villagers that were easily detected with her keen hearing. _'This was a bad idea…'_ She thought drearily.

"—And she has agreed to join our warriors!"

Kagome stood for a moment, shell shocked, before recovering and sending a death dealing glare to the back of Takahashi, Taisho's head. "Why you…"

"Kagome-san?"

She turned then to see Kohaku and Inuyasha looking at her with curious expressions. "Did you…" Kohaku started, "did you agree?"

Kagome sighed, her gaze drifting to the ground. "No…"

Taisho continued on, not missing a beat. He dove into the history of the Shikon no Tama, the depth of the agreement and how it had been in place for many years. He spoke of the gods and their power, the gods of the North were wolves, the gods of the East were dragons, the gods of the South were tigers and the gods of the West were dogs. He also spoke of the festival that would mark the halfway point for the warriors. After visiting the South and the West they would return to the village and restock on supplies and rest for several days before heading towards the East and then traveling North.

When the lecture was finished and most of the villagers had returned to work, Kagome made a beeline for the village leader, Kohaku and Inuyasha not far behind. Myoga also made his way up the hill towards them, Rin tagging along behind him. He looked worried.

"Takahashi-Sama…"

"Listen, you…" Kagome snapped. "I didn't agree to anything just yet, what's the idea spitting out lies like that to your people?"

"Kagome-san…" Myoga started again, eyes wide.

"Now Kagome," Taisho said, resting a firm hand on her shoulder, "You wouldn't really disappoint the village by disagreeing now would you…?"

"Cut the crap and give me my answer." Kagome barked, jerking away from him.

Taisho smiled, but it wasn't a friendly smile. "In the current position this village is now, we could send more of our warriors and leave the village unprotected, or we could only send the two warriors currently prepared to leave and pray that they could make it. If they didn't make it however, the four gods would drop their protection of the Shikon no Tama and our village would be faced with larger, stronger demons that could easily overpower us."

"Now…if you don't agree…there is a chance that all would be well." He continued, "But our current circumstances could also lead to the destruction of the village, and the Shikon no Tama could easily fall into the wrong hands leading to further distraction of the country. Do you really want all of that on your conscious?"

Silence surrounded the small group for a moment as they all considered Taisho's words.

"Otoosan…" Rin asked, worry written across her face, "Is our home in trouble…?"

"Rin…it's going to be ok…" Inuyasha muttered, reaching for his sister and wrapping an arm gently around her shoulders. "He's over exaggerating." He said then, scowling up at his father.

Kagome sighed, _'That bastard is playing on my emotions.'_ She thought, then after a moment, _'But he does have a point. The village is in a dangerous situation.'_

"Alright."

Silence once again enclosed the group and all eyes were on Kagome.

"What?" Myoga asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I said ok." Kagome muttered, raising her gaze to meet eyes with all of them, first Taisho, then Myoga, Inuyasha and Kohaku and finally Rin. "I'll go."

…

'_That was a couple days ago…'_ Kagome thought as she once again sat perched in one of the highest branches of the great Goshinboku. _'Every things been pretty crazy since then…' _She sighed as she sat up on her branch, watching the clouds travel idly through the sky. _'Just three more days of peace and then…'_

"Hey."

'_Then I'll be stuck with a bunch of…humans…' _

"Hey…I said HEY!"

Kagome jumped, nearly falling from her perch. She turned to look over her shoulder with narrowed eyes, spying Inuyasha below her, who sat on the back of a horse and scowled back up at her. She quirked an eyebrow at him then, "What do you want?" she was surprised when she saw worry crease his brow. "What's wrong…?" she asked then, a little more gently.

"…Rin is missing."

"Again?" Kagome asked, stepping off of her branch easily and landing seconds later on the ground in a crouch. "Well she couldn't be too far, right… how long?"

Inuyasha didn't speak for a moment, eyes dark. "We haven't seen her since this morning…the village is in chaos preparing for the journey…I…I shouldn't have taken my eyes off her, but I was sure she would have come to you…"He snorted then. "Hell, why am I telling all of this to you, you're not any help if you really haven't seen her." With that said he turned his horse and continued on down the trail.

Kagome watched him as he left, calling his sister's name. _'He'll only attract demons if he keeps that up, doesn't he know any better?'_ She sighed and followed him, leaping from branch to branch. It didn't take long for him to sense her presence trailing after him and he turned his horse around to face her with a dark look.

"What do you want?" He snapped, "If you really don't know anything then get lost!"

She cocked her head to the side, watching him for a moment before answering. "You could use my help, right?" She pointed to her nose. "I'll be able to track her…"

He seemed to consider this for a moment, clearly skeptical of her offer. "Why would you help me?" He finally asked.

"Who said I was helping you?" Kagome asked, returning the look. "I'm helping Rin."

Inuyasha watched her for another moment before pointing his horse back on the trail and continuing along. "Fine, just don't get in my way."

Moments later the two found themselves surrounded by a band of cackling, beastly men. "What're you doing here boy?" One of the men slurred as he made his way towards Inuyasha's horse." "If yer looking for trouble you sure came to the right place…"

His crude introduction was met with another fit of laughter from the three men behind him.

Inuyasha snorted. "What am I doing here? This is the land of my village; I should be asking the same to you four bastards." He then turned his horse, intentions of continuing his search. "I don't have time for this crap."

"Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's turned to look at his reluctant companion who had, up until now, kept herself hidden in between the branches. Her nose was scrunched up in disgust at the stench of the men. "They have Rin's scent on them." She said evenly.

"What!" He snapped, leaping off of his horse and drawing his sword. "Why didn't you say anything sooner, bitch?"

"Because I knew you would do that…" Kagome muttered, making her way to Inuyasha's side. She eyed his weapon curiously for a moment. The same sword that had transformed into a massive blade when he threatened her, and even when he protected her from the mass attack of demons not long before that, was now a rusty old blade. She quirked a brow, "Your blade is…"

"It won't transform to fight humans." Inuyasha explained, eyes narrowed, "Despite how cruel they are."

The group of bandits broke out in another fit of laughter at the sight of Inuyasha's weapon. "That thing, are you kidding me? It couldn't even give me a bruise!" The same man who had spoke before barked out, "You two better go home if that's the best you can do! We'll kick your butts!"

Kagome watched for a moment, selecting her prey. _'That one… the one in the back, he's hiding himself because he knows Rin's scent is all over him.'_ She smirked, leaping into the air effortlessly and landing a well aimed kick in the man's large belly. "You." She snipped, "Where is she?"

"Hey, you…" One of the men snapped, moving towards the half demon and his helpless companion, Inuyasha blocked him however, raising his rusty sword in front of him. "Why don't you just stand there and wait?" He barked.

"But… it, it wasn't me I swear…" The man sputtered, trembling. Kagome rolled her lips back, revealing a handful of sharp canines and let out a feral snarl. "I-I mean, it was the boss! He ordered it! The girl's with him, back at the fort... That's what you're looking for right? I don't know what he wanted with her…I was just following orders!"

Kagome's sighed, glancing over her shoulder at Inuyasha. The bandits behind him looked surprised, perhaps they hadn't been a part of the capture of the little girl, of course that didn't mean they were just going to hand her over now that they knew. The three that still stood backed off a bit and gathered, talking amongst themselves while keeping their beady eyes trained on Inuyasha and Kagome.

"Where is this place?" Inuyasha asked the man, still lying helplessly under Kagome's weight. Before the man could answer the other three pounced, lunging themselves towards the duo with their weapons drawn. Inuyasha didn't bother to use his sword, and instead sheathed it before turning toward the bandits and with some fancy footwork and two strong fists he had all three on the forest floor in a matter of seconds.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Why did you even bother drawing your sword in the first place?" She asked, and then turned to the man underneath her, now trying to squirm his way free. "Hey you," She growled, "Where is Rin being held?"

"The-the boss he…he told us to take her to the fort!" The man whimpered, "It's not far from here…just east, near the river…" His eyes widened as Kagome leaned down and took a deep sniff, "Please just leave me alone!"

Kagome shrugged and stood up, turning to face Inuyasha. "I've got the scent…we can go."

…

"She's so tiny…"

"Ah, yeah… boss usually wants girls that are a little older…not sure what he was thinking on this one here…"

"He has been acting strange lately…don't you think?"

Rin sat curled in the corner of a tiny, run-down, one room house. _'Aniki will come save me.'_ She thought, _'He…he's always there for me. He'll find me…right?' _

She didn't know where she was, the three men that had kidnapped her had covered her eyes when they got close, then dropped her in the corner when they arrived, and there she still sat. _'There are only two of them now…maybe I can…'_ Rin glanced towards the door, and then to the two men who stood before her, their backs turned. _'If I'm really quiet…'_

She made it to her feet and silently crept towards the door. Her two watchdogs were so busy in their conversation that they didn't notice her creeping away. She grinned, _'I made it!'_ but her joy melted away as she reached the door and the animal hide that covered it was pushed away reveling a tall, stocky man.

'_Oh no!'_ She whimpered, covering her mouth and scurrying away from the bulky man before he could grab her.

"Ah, boss!"

"Hey! That brat was trying to escape on us!"

Rin screamed as she was grabbed, not at all gently, by one of the men.

"Hold er…" The boss said, stumbling towards the two, "Hold er right there and I'll make sure she don't escape again…" He drew his sword, lifting it above his head and earning another terrified scream from Rin.

"Boss, you're going to kill her…?" One man shouted, "But I thought you wanted to have a little fun first yeah?"

Rin ducked her head and closed her eyes tight as she prepared for the blow of the man's sword. _'This is it!'_ She thought, _'I'm sorry Aniki!' _

When she didn't feel anything she bravely opened her eyes and glanced up at the man whom she had been sure would be her end. She frowned, _'But his sword has blood on it…where did that…?'_ she jumped when she felt a sprinkle on warm liquid hit her cheek and arm, and turned slowly to watch as one of her captor's headless bodies fell to the ground. She returned terrified eyes to the tall man before her.

"Heh, I missed…" He grumbled, swinging his sword down again.

"No!" Rin screamed, ducking around his legs and running for the door. She didn't make it far. The second of her two captors (the two that had stayed to watch her anyway) stood blocking her from the door. "You!" She shouted bravely, "Let me go! He's crazy, don't you see? He killed your friend!"

"I-I…I can't let you escape!" The man said, he too looked terrified despite his words. He grabbed her arm and turned her around to once again face the beast as he staggered towards her.

"No!" Rin shouted again, squirming wildly in the man's strong arms.

"Hold er still now…" The large man muttered, lifting his bloody sword into the air. As the blade came down however, so did the roof and thousands of wooden shards littered the floor.

Rin ducked her head as the wood rained down upon her, followed by a heavy gust of wind. She only caught a dark blur blocking her vision for a moment, and then she was free. She heard a shout of surprise from behind her and the sound of hurried footsteps as her captor retreated.

"Rin."

She glanced up to see Kagome standing in front of her, one hand holding the bandit's bloody sword above her head, and the other a fist in his face.

"Are you alright? You're not hurt…?"

"Kagome-san!" Rin shouted, overjoyed. "You came to save me!"

"W…why you…"

Kagome and Rin were suddenly dragged back to reality as the boss bandit staggered away from the half demon, dragging his sword out of Kagome's hand in the process. Kagome winced slightly as the blade cut into her hand, but recovered. "You bastard…" She snapped, "You think kidnapping little kids from their village is fun?" She took a deep sniff then and grinned. "Heh, you're not even human anymore are you…? You reek worse than the rest of your group."

"What…?" Run asked, "What do you mean "not human", Kagome-san?" She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder but relaxed easily when she turned to see her brother behind her. "Aniki! You came too?"

"Of course!" Inuyasha snapped, looking slightly insulted. "Why wouldn't I?"

He turned his gaze to Kagome then, quirking a brow. "What's going on?" He snapped at her.

"Just hold on…" She grumbled, easily leaping away from the bandit's clumsy swordsmanship and landing behind him. When he turned to face her she drew back her fist and struck, tearing away the armor that covered his chest, again she struck and this time tore through his chest, ripping clear through to the other side where a large black bird tore from the whole, blood covering it's feathers and with an angry screech flew through the whole that Kagome had created only moments before.

"Damn bird…" Kagome snapped, ripping her arm from the man's chest and dropping his lifeless body to the ground.

"Kagome-san…" Rin said eyes wide as she brought her hands to her mouth. "That was…that was disgusting…"

Kagome rolled her eyes as she brushed past the siblings and out the door. "We have to hunt that thing down before it finds another host…" she growled, "otherwise the cycle just repeats itself." With that said she took off, following the distant silhouette of the demon as it floated through the sky.

"Kagome-san!" Rin called after her, but was stopped by a gentle hand on her arm.

"Rin…" Inuyasha whispered, kneeling in front of her. "You're ok? You aren't hurt…? I'm…" he bowed his head in shame. "I'm so sorry; I should have been watching you."

"Aniki…" Rin smiled as she reached out to pat her sibling gently on the cheek. "I'm the one who ran off again, it isn't your fault, but we have to help Kagome-san!"

Inuyasha made a face, "she'll be fine on her own…"

"Aniki!" Rin shouted, frowning at him. "We have to…"

Inuyasha sighed as he climbed to his feet. "Fine." He grumbled, making his way towards the horse, "but you keep your distance."

…

Kagome landed on the ground seconds after the crow demon crashed. It turned around as she approached it, screeching angrily at her. "Oh shut up." Kagome growled pressing one foot against the bird's throat and leaving it limp. "There…that takes care of that…"

She turned to go, but froze, "shit."

A human man stood in front of her, one she didn't recognize, and a woman with her two children stood behind him, shaking. "You…you get away from my family, demon!" The man yelled, "I'll shoot! Don't come any closer!"

"I won't hurt you…" Kagome said, "I just…"

"Get away!" The man screamed before she could continue, releasing the arrow. Kagome's eyes widened and she shot away, ducking into the trees and disappearing into the woods.

'_This is what I get for helping a bunch of humans…'_ she thought, frustrated, but she kept running. _'Ridiculous.'_

She came to a sudden halt then, nearly colliding with a horse as it too came sliding to a halt. "What the hell is your problem?" Inuyasha snapped from the back of the animal, "Weren't you paying attention at all?"

"Weren't you?" Kagome snapped back, "Hell…what are you even doing here; I thought you both would have headed back…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder to where Rin sat. The girl grinned. "We came to make sure you were ok!"

Now Kagome rolled her eyes, "of course I'm fine." She barked, walking past them. "I'm leaving."

"Hey."

Kagome paused, glancing over her shoulder to Inuyasha, who glared at her.

"I just want to make something clear." He said, eyes narrowing. "I appreciate what you did." He said, "But I still hate you."

Kagome stared at him. "Uh…umm…"

"Aniki," Rin protested, tugging on his arm. "That wasn't nice!" She turned to Kagome then, "He doesn't mean it Kagome-san."

"Yes I do." Inuyasha reassured her. "Come Rin, we're going home."

Kagome watched them leave, before following after them silently. _'Not all humans…are so ungrateful I suppose…' _

…

Later that night Kagome followed Myoga through the village. It was well past sundown and the village was sleeping, making it a much more comfortable trip for the half demon.

"Ah, here we are." Myoga said, pulling Kagome from her thoughts. "I've already spoken with Toutousai and he is more than happy to create a new weapon for you. He's rather talented in the art of creating not-so-ordinary weapons; Inuyasha's sword was forged from the great dog demon of the West before he passed." Myoga continued, brushing the bamboo curtain aside and motioning for Kagome to go in ahead of him.

Toutousai, she presumed, sat at the fire upon her arrival, stroking the dyeing flames gently. He looked similar in age to Myoga, although, even sitting down she could tell he was a great bit taller than the squatty old man behind her. His ratty gray hair was pulled straight up atop his head, and was fringed at the end, making Kagome wonder how many times he had been hospitalized during his work. His clothes wear simple, black and brown stripes that traveled vertically over the cloth, and looked no less worn then the rest of him.

"Toutousai…" Myoga began, taking a seat and beckoning Kagome to do the same, "Has been a friend of mine since the two of us were just children. Toutousai, this is Kagome-san, the half demon I've told you about."

"Is that right…" The old man brought his gaze from the flames to meet Kagome with tired brown eyes. "And you…" He paused suddenly, and his eyes twinkled in delight, "Oh it will be interesting making your weapon indeed."

Kagome flinched. "Uh…what…what do you mean?"

Toutousai leaned across the fire then, a crooked smile crawling across his face. "You have powers, powers far beyond what Myoga described…"

"Toutousai…" Myoga frowned, "You're about to catch yourself on fire again."

The sword smith leaned back, brushing a bit of char from the front of his haori. "Never mind that," he said, eyes returning to Kagome (who looked rather annoyed). "Show me what you can do with fire."

"Fire?" Kagome asked, "I can create it…manipulate it…it's in my heritage, but…"

"Show me then." Toutousai demanded.

Kagome sighed and dropped her gaze to the flames that were now barely a flicker of light underneath the burnt wood. Without warning they burst to life again, twisting and turning until they created a tornado of fire over the fire pit, lifting away from the logs and then diving back into the wood and disappearing completely, leaving the small house quite dark. Kagome lifted a hand then, turning it so that her palm faced the sky and before long her hand started glowing a soft blue color before it appeared to catch fire, Kagome didn't seem to be in any pain however, as she leaned forward and touched the wood, easily bringing the fire back to life.

"There." She grumped, folding her arms. "Is that enough?"

"That's plenty." Toutousai said, standing quickly and dusting himself off. He made his way around the small house as he spoke. "You already have a weapon… the two swords at your side?"

"Uh, yeah…" Kagome said, "But they're just blades I picked up from the battle field, nothing special about them."

"I will make you new ones, better ones…." He turned to face her again and made his way over, holding a pair of pliers in his hands. "I'll need something from you though…open your mouth."

"Why?" Kagome asked, already skeptical. "What do you—"

Without bothering to answer, the old man took advantage of her mouth being open (to speak) and reached forward.

…

Anyone who had been sleeping in the village before was most likely wide awake now. That was what Myoga thought as he stepped outside of Toutousai's hut to intercept any worried villagers that might come to investigate.

…

"I'll need some of your blood too if you don't mind, you can just drip it into here from the wound." Toutousai said easily as he handed Kagome a small, wooden bowl. He now had several goose bumps lined up neatly on his forehead. "You really didn't need to overreact like that. Your tooth should come back in within a day or so."

"That's not the point." Kagome grumbled. Despite herself, she did proceed to collect blood into the cup as the old man had instructed, then pressed a hand firmly to her mouth in efforts to stop the bleeding from where Toutousai had yanked one of her canines from her mouth.

"Use this." The sword smith tossed an old cloth to her before turning back to his work. "I'll have your weapon ready in a day, return to me tomorrow afternoon and you can test it before you leave." He glanced over his shoulder at the half demon as she snatched the cloth up and prepared to leave. "And leave those other swords here." At Kagome's questioning gaze he continued, "If they really are just old weaponry from a human battle you have no use for them, we can use them here."

Kagome nodded, setting her twin blades on the ground gently before heading out.

…

_AN: Chapter four is complete! **Apoligies for the long wait but I was having trouble posting new chapters here on . I now have an update section on my profile, so be sure to check there if you're ever curious as to how progress is coming with the story.** :) Anyway, I really liked how the chapter turned out ; it was lots of fun to write. Enjoy, and don't forget, reviews are always nice to read, even the critiquing; it helps me become a better writer. :) _

_Next chapter… (Goodbye's are not final) Kagome gets her new weapon, a new character is introduced, and the group says their goodbyes and heads out… first stop, western land of the dogs (I wonder who that is)._

_Toodles! - K _


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, I experienced some writers block at the beginning of this chapter… couldn't figure out quite how to put things, but at last, here it is. Enjoy! _

**Chapter 5: Goodbyes Are Not Forever**

"This?" Kagome asked, easily lifting her new weapon above her head and watching as the long blade glinted in the sunlight. "A Scythe?"

"Yes." Toutousai responded, looking rather proud of his work, "it's much different from you're original weapon but once you learn the proper ways to fight with it I'm sure you'll be pleased. It was created using one of your very own canines."

"Yeah…" Kagome grumbled, sending the swords smith a wary look. "I remember..."

He ignored her. "The more you use it the closer the bond between yourself and the scythe will become. Inuyasha has a similar bond with his weapon, Tetusaiga. Why don't you go practice some and see what happens, I've got work to do…"

Kagome watched the old man wander off, and then returned her gaze to the Scythe in her hands. It was nearly as tall as her, and the blade was huge. A large canine skull covered the space where the blade and staff met, its jaws open wide and holding securely onto the blade while the staff appeared from behind the jaw where the neck vertebrae would have been on a full skeleton. The staff itself looked as impressive as the rest of the weapon. Small inscriptions that were hard to make out where written just below the skull and traveling down the width.

"Weird." Kagome said, lifting the weapon over her shoulder and resting it there. "Ah well, I've got to get used to carrying this thing around then…"

"Kagome-san!"

The half demon paused on her way out, turning to see Rin trotting up to her side. "Rin?" Kagome asked,. "What's wrong?"

Rin smiled. "Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to know if maybe…I could come watch you practice…?"

"Uh…"The woman frowned. "That's probably not a good idea."

"Please?" The girl begged, "There's nothing else to do…"

"I'm sure you could find something."

"I did, spending time with you is something." Rin pointed out as Kagome rolled her eyes. "I asked Aniki." She said then, "He said it's fine to go into the forest if I have supervision."

"Did you tell him what kind of supervision you were looking for?" Kagome asked skeptically.

"Well…no…"

"Obviously not," A new voice interrupted the two. Kagome and Rin glanced up simultaneously to find Inuyasha standing nearby, arms folded and a scowl planted firmly on his face. "I just got off duty." He said, "What are you doing this close to the village, mutt?"

"Picking up my weapon from the old man," The half-demon responded easily. "I was just leaving."

"Leave then." Inuyasha snapped rudely.

"Aniki!" Rin scolded, turning to frown at her brother then returning her gaze to the departing half-demon. "Kagome-san…"

"We're going too Rin." Inuyasha barked, nailing the girl with a firm look. "I don't want you spending any more time with that half-breed."

"I told you she's—"

"We're going now Rin." Inuyasha said, already turning to go and leaving no more room for argument. "Stay away from her. That's final."

…

Only moments had passed and Kagome stood just outside the forest, far from the village, in an open grassy field. She growled as she lifted her new weapon up to inspect it. "How am I supposed to practice if I have no one to fight, huh? All I'm doing now is cutting the grass…"

She glanced around her then, rolling her eyes at the difference in the grasses height directly around her. "So far I'm thinking I'd be better off with the twin swords I had earlier…" she tossed the scythe back and forth a few times in her hands, "but they were just a pile of junk abandoned from some ground soldier anyway, nothing like this."

A grin crawled across her lips then, "I need to find myself a demon, shouldn't be too hard!"

…

Later that day when the sun had nearly disappeared behind the trees Inuyasha and Rin sat together in their small home, finishing off their dinner before they prepared for bed.

"Aniki…"

Inuyasha glanced up to see Rin sitting across the pit from him, watching him carefully from the shadow of her bangs. He raised one eyebrow in her direction, "Rin?" He asked, "Something wrong? You've been quite all evening…"

The girl sighed and set her untouched bowl of food on the floor. "Aniki, why are you so mean to Kagome-san? She's protected me so many times, I know she means well…"

"Rin, please… not this again…"

"Kagome-san is really nice; you should at least give her a chance," the younger sibling protested.

"We've gone over this Rin." Inuyasha snapped, "I want you to stay away from her. She's dangerous, even if she doesn't seem that way right now…"

"She is not!" Rin snapped back, "You can't blame her just because of what happened with Akane-San!"

Inuyasha stiffened. "Don't talk about that."

Rin made a face and her eyes slowly returned to her untouched dinner. "If Akane-san was still here I bet she would let me spend time with Kagome-san…"

"Rin." Inuyasha said firmly, slamming his empty bowl down hard enough to make the young girl jump. He sighed, leaning back and folding his arms protectively over his chest. "I'm sorry Rin. Akane was… she was very important to me. We were to be married only a few days after she was killed, you were far too young to remember but…" He cut himself off then, and stood abruptly. "Never mind, finish your dinner Rin, I need to think."

"Aniki!" Rin called after him, even after he had already pushed the bamboo curtain away and disappearing behind it. "Aniki…" Rin frowned as she stared down into her bowl. "I'm sorry…"

…

Not far from Inuyasha's home, Kagome pushed past the bamboo curtain hanging in Toutousai's doorway and stepped into his home. "Listen here old man…" Kagome barked, leaning her scythe against the wall as she made her way forward. "I want to hear about just how this thing is supposed to work!"

Toutousai narrowed his eyes at the unruly half demon in front of him. "I've already told you."

"You-you didn't tell me anything you old goat!" Kagome snapped waving a hand in the weapon's direction. "Go see what happens" you said… are you trying to kill me?"

Toutousai continued poking at the dying flames. "The scythe will bond with you…then you'll see it's true power…"

Kagome snarled at him, making a fist with her right hand and lifting it over her head. Toutousai's fire then burst to life, nearly burning off the old man's goatee before he leaned back to avoid the flames. He watched the now healthy flames dance in front of him for a moment then before turning to the half demon with half-lid eyes, "thanks to you it won't be so cold in here anymore…"

"Why you…"

"Oi, Toutousai, is everything…" Inuyasha paused in the entrance to the sword smith's home as he caught sight of the half demon standing across the fire from the older man. "You," He spat, "What in the hell are you doing here?"

Kagome returned his menacing stare but said nothing.

"Inuyasha-sama, calm yourself. She is only here to visit, why don't you sit with us?"

The man hesitated for a moment before reluctantly taking a seat near the fire. "Fine," He said, "But only to keep an eye on that…that…"

Toutousai sighed. "And to think we're putting the safety of our village and the Shikon no Tama in the hands of the two of you." He shook his head, leaning forward to add a few logs to the fire. "You two will have to learn to get along if you want to succeed." He paused, and then glanced up at the half demon across from him. "Perhaps Inuyasha-sama can help you learn more about your weapon…his experience with Tetsusaiga may help you."

Kagome winced.

Inuyasha smirked and grabbed his sword. "What, a battle? I'll kick your ass bitch…"

"I…" Kagome frowned, averting her eyes, "I'm not interested in fighting humans…"

"What, afraid you'd lose?" Inuyasha taunted, but stopped himself as he caught the closed off look on Kagome's face. Without another word the half demon stood and left the same way she'd come in, grabbing her weapon as she brushed past the door. Inuyasha frowned, turning his gaze back to Toutousai with one quirked brow. "What's her problem?"

"You'll find out soon enough…" the old man said, still working on the fire.

"What are you talking about…" the younger man grumbled.

Toutousai said nothing for a moment before leaning back and admiring the flickering flames. "The fire's nice now isn't it?"

…

Kagome made her way through the back of the village and back into the comfort of the forest. "Stupid old man wasn't helpful at all…" Kagome muttered, "Stupid…"

…

_Earlier that day…_

"_Yooooouu…huuuuumaaaaaan creeatuure…" _

_Kagome furrowed her brow at the beast in front of her. "Human?" She barked, "Think again. But you'll be a perfect test subject for my new scythe..." _

_A crooked grin crawled across the woman's face as she lifted the weapon above her head and leapt into the air towards the beast. It had a long body and eight arms that helped it move across the ground quickly. Its human face was its camouflage, to confuse humans into getting close, and it's thick armored body made it a tough opponent to kill._

'_But I like the tough ones…' Kagome thought, striking at the monsters side with her bladed weapon. She was surprised however when the blade hardly cut into the beast's hard armor and only broke the surface. "What?" she barked, managing to dodge two of the creature's eight flailing arms and landing roughly on the ground. _

"_What is this piece of crap?" she said, turning back in the direction she'd come. "I need to have a talk with that stupid old man…"_

"_Yoooou gooooooo weeeaaakling…." The monster hissed from behind her, "III will deeeestroy the villllllage while yoooou are awaaaaaay…" _

"_What was that…?" The now grumpy half demon turned to scowl at the beast. "It may be an old piece of crap but it's more than enough to cut you to bits…" she snapped, leaping upwards again and lifting the scythe. She hardly noticed the faint blue glow on the blade of her weapon as she approached the demon. _

'_What the…' she thought. This time, when the blade cut into the demon's side it ripped through with ease leaving the creature's body withering on the ground. Kagome watched the monster until it eventually stopped moving completely. 'That was different…' _

…

"So…" Kagome mused as she wandered deeper into the forest, "why the change? I could hardly dent him before and then…"

She paused as a thought came._ 'What…because he threatened the village…?'_ She thought,_ 'do I have to be protecting something to get any use of this thing?' _

…

The next morning three figures stood lined up along the edge of the forest, loaded down by weapons, supplies and food. Two horses stood obediently beside them, each equine a heavy load over their rumps, along with a saddle and reins to provide transport for the two humans in the group.

"Is everything prepared?"

"Yes, everything is prepared Takahashi-sama. Our warriors are ready to leave whenever you decide." Myoga responded, bowing deeply as his leader climbed the hill to join him.

Taisho raised one thick brow at the sight of the three warriors. Kohaku stood nervously between Kagome and Inuyasha, neither of the latter looking at all thrilled at the sight of the other. Rin stood nearby, clinging to her older siblings hand and giving him the occasional worried look. Together the three of them looked like the least likely to get along much less succeed of any threesome he'd ever witnessed.

"You three realize that the safety of this village depends heavily on your cooperation, endurance and fighting ability throughout the journey, correct?" Taisho asked his warriors as he approached them. He was given three nods of conformation from Inuyasha, Kagome and Kohaku. "Then I do hope you all plan to behave yourselves." The man snapped firmly, "That means I don't want to hear of anyone being injured because of acts of stupidity within your own group, understood?"

Three more nods, this time with a bit more stiffness between them.

"Very well then," He bowed to the three who returned the gesture. Taisho then turned to face the crowd of villagers that had gathered to send the warriors off. "They will be leaving shortly, make sure to keep them in your prayers until they return safely. These three brave men and women will be facing challenges of all types along their journey and will have to be strong…not just physically, but mentally and emotionally to succeed."

He turned back to face Inuyasha, Kagome and Kohaku once more before the three departed. The two men had mounted their horses and sat, waiting patiently for their departure.

"We wish you the best. Return safely."

And they left.

…

Inuyasha, Kagome and Kohaku had been traveling for hours now with only one break to allow the horses time to rest while the humans (and half human) rested on the ground. They had left early in the morning and disappeared from the villager's sight before the sun had completely risen, now the sun sat high above their heads, pouring heat down on them and making the first steps of their long journey that much harder.

Only a handful of words had been spoken between them since their departure and while the silence had been pleasant at first, now it had grown quite uncomfortable. Inuyasha lead the way, riding atop his equine partner, Kohaku followed slightly behind him, also riding, and Kagome took up the rear, traveling on foot.

"So…err… the first kingdom we will be traveling to will be the Western Lands, ruled by Sesshoumaru-sama and his wife, Kagura-sama…" Kohaku said, turning in his saddle slightly to glance over at Kagome, as if making sure she was still there, "what do you think it will be like Kagome-san?"

Kagome took the bait, "boring." She grumbled, "but you know don't you? Haven't you been there before?"

"Ah, no…" Kohaku frowned at this, "I've never been, I was too young… and Inuyasha-sama came of age last time, but he was injured, so…"

"So, what…neither of you have ever been to any of these places before?" Kagome asked, coming to a stop to stare incredulously at the two horseback warriors. They both pulled their horses to a stop simultaneously and turned to face her.

"Well… we have a map." Kohaku pointed out cheerfully, "I'm sure we'll be fine, most of the villages that we plan to rest and restock at have been used by our warriors for ages on this same journey. They know Takahashi-sama well."

"Yeah…but…"

'_That doesn't exactly ease my worries…'_ the half demon thought.

"It doesn't matter." Inuyasha barked, turning to face forwards again and urging the horse to continue. Kohaku and Kagome followed obediently.

'_It should matter if we get lost…or killed…or if we all starve…I'll be fine of course.'_ Kagome thought, but she followed along anyway. _'That stupid Inuyasha is as stubborn as his father.'_

Moments later Kagome paused again, her canine ears perked and her sensitive nose pointed to the sky. She took a deep breath of the fresh air and then turned to glace back at her companions, oblivious to the fact that Kagome was no longer following along. "Hey." She barked, catching their attention. She turned back to the woods beside her. "There's a demon."

Kohaku and Inuyasha turned to give her questioning looks. "A demon, are you sure…?" Kohaku asked.

"Can't be," Inuyasha said already turning back to continue their journey. "I would have felt it by now."

"I can hear it…" Kagome reminded the man. "And smell it, smells terrible…" she paused then before continuing, "I'm going." And she was gone.

"Kagome-san!" Kohaku shouted and despite inuyasha's protests, directed his horse to follow the half demon's lead. Inuyasha reluctantly followed and the two horses took off together, sailing over obstacles in their path and dipping around trees. The men arrived moments later just in time to see their half demon companion nearly become the lunch of a giant centipede monster.

"Kagome-san!"

Upon spotting the two warriors atop their horses, a handful of men ran over to them, weapons gathered in their arms. "Is…is that creature a friend of yours?" One spoke up, eyes wide.

"No." Inuyasha barked firmly, "She's just a…a…"

"She's assisting us on our journey." Kohaku filled in, "we're travelling to the four kingdoms to ask for their protection. We are warriors of the village that protects the Shikon no Tama."

"The Shikon no Tama," One of the men, an older man, shouted, "I know of that jewel, it's extremely powerful! It's legendary!"

"Please," another man said, stepping up, "in exchange for your protection, we can offer you a warm meal and a bed to sleep in. It's the least we can do, that demon has been torturing us for days…"

Inuyasha's eyes drifted to the horizon. The sun would be starting its descent soon, and it would take some time to return to their original path after this detour. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to rest for a while." He said, turning to Kohaku, "agreed?"

The younger man nodded enthusiastically but then paused as his gaze fell on Kagome, who had sense slain the monster and waited patiently nearby. "But Kagome-san is…"

"Err…" the same man who made the offer cringed, "We…we don't usually allow demon's in our village…"

"That's fine." Inuyasha responded tartly. "Neither do we."

"Inuyasha-sama…" Kohaku scolded, and then turned to look back at Kagome, "Kagome-san…"

"It's fine." Kagome said with an shrug of her shoulders. "It's not as if I'm not used to sleeping in the forest." She turned then to disappear back into the trees. "I'll find you in the morning."

…

Early the next morning, Kohaku and Inuyasha travelled down the hallway towards the common area of the little inn they had stayed in. It had been a nice, unexpected rest in a soft bed, but it was time to get to work. Kagome still waited for them in the forest, and they had to make up for lost time. They hadn't been travelling for even a day and they had already drifted off course.

"We can't be sidetracked again." Inuyasha barked to his fellow warrior. "If we get deterred by every demon attack that we come across then we'll never make it to the Western Lands."

"Of course, Inuyasha-sama…" Kohaku responded obediently, but he looked skeptical. But as the two men passed through the common area they caught the hushed whispers of a pair of village women that had crowed together.

"It's terrible… those samurai were real gentlemen when they came through…"

"Good looking too…it's a pity they were killed."

"I'm worried. What if the demon comes after us next?"

"Hey." Inuyasha barked, startling the two women. "What was that you said about a demon?"

"Oh, it was terrible," one said, "these samurai came through the village just a few days ago you see, but when some of the men were out hunting they found…the bodies. They were intact, all but their heads." The woman shivered, wrapping her arms around her shoulders in a protective manner, "terrible…it was terrible…"

Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder to where Kohaku stood, "we can't leave without taking care of this first," he grumbled, then returned his gaze to the women. "Where were these samurai found?"

"If you continue north through the forest there's a camping area for travelers, all the trees and brush have been pulled back, it's hard to miss…" she drifted off then, "oh but you really shouldn't, whatever killed those men must be powerful! Even when some of our men traveled out to gather the bodies…there were "invisible lines" the men said. It was something sharp, and it kept them from getting near the samurai…"

"We'll be fine." Inuyasha said, turning and heading for the door, but before he could a young man darted through, his eyes wide and arms flailing. "It's terrible!" he shouted, nearly knocking Inuyasha over as he scrambled to get to the back of the room. "When I returned from the woods all of the villagers where just standing there… they weren't moving at all…and then they tried to attack me! I nearly lost my head! He clung to the two women in the inn, "We've got to get away from here, is there anyone else inside?"

"N-no…" one woman spoke up, "the inn master left earlier to tend to some things… everyone else was out…"

Inuyasha and Kohaku exchanged looks before their gaze snapped to the door. The wind blew softly, ruffling the curtain slightly, and just past the curtain were several of the villagers, peering through the door with glazed eyes. Their toes barely brushed the ground and they seemed to be suspended by something, though it wasn't clear what.

One man lifted an axe that he held firmly in one hand, floating towards the door as he did so and bringing the weapon down on the door frame. The women screamed and scurried to their feet, while the young man searched frantically for a shield or weapon.

"Calm down!" Inuyasha demanded, "There's a back entrance isn't there? Where is it?"

"That's right, we can escape there!" the boy shouted, waving to the others for them to follow and running down the hall to the little inn's back door, the others not far behind.

"We have to find who's doing this!" Kohaku shouted as the small group ran past the door and into the field nearby. Moments later they found themselves in the forest, gasping for breath, and watching warily over their shoulders. The village was still visible past the brush and they could see clearly that it was not only a handful of villagers that were controlled. The men, the women and even the children hovered just above the ground, weapons of all shapes and sizes clasped in their hands.

"It's too dangerous to go back…" Inuyasha said, turning to the three that had managed to escape whatever power possessed the others. "Where is this camping area? That 's our only chance to find whatever monster is doing this…"

"You…you plan to fight this monster…?" The village boy choked, "but you can't! You'll be killed for sure!"

"Stop saying that." Inuyasha snapped. "You three should stay out here, and keep moving until you find the next village. Warn them." With that said he turned to head North, Kohaku following close behind.

…

"Do you think Kagome-san is alright…?" Kohaku asked as the two wandered through the forest. Travelling on foot wasn't nearly as convenient, but turning back to the village to retrieve their horses could be suicidal.

"I hope not."

"Inuyasha-sama… you're too cold…"

"You're too soft." The older man retorted.

There was a moment of silence between the men as they continued traveling towards the now abandoned camping area of the samurai. Whether or not they would be able to do anything for the villagers was still an unanswered question. If there really were invisible lines of some sort that could cut into human flesh, the two warriors would be in just as much danger as anyone else.

Inuyasha stopped then, a sour look appearing on his face. Kohaku thought to question him for a moment before he too picked up on the approaching aura that had clearly caught Inuyasha's attention. Kohaku turned with a smile to face the half demon as she got within sight.

"Kagome-san, I'm glad you're alright…"

"You're going in the wrong direction." She snapped, ignoring him.

"Kagome-san…we're searching for the abandoned camping area of several samurai that were attacked… " Kohaku said pleasantly, trying to ignore the woman's rude demeanor. "Perhaps your sense of smell could come in handy for us?"

"I know what you're looking for." Kagome continued, sparing a glance at the younger man. "I've already been there."

"What?" Inuyasha snapped, spinning around to face her. "Why in the hells didn't you say so sooner?"

Kagome planted him with an unimpressed look. "The monster that killed them isn't there." She said, "She uses hair as her weapon though. That might help."

"You've seen her then…?" The swordsman asked, now taking a seat on the forest floor. He was more than willing to put his dislike for the half demon aside to get the answers he needed. "What happened?"

…

_Late the previous night… _

'_Stupid, ungrateful bastards…' the half demon thought as she wandered through the woods, looking for her ideal sleeping spot. Something else caught her attention though. 'What is…?'_

_She took a sharp turn to the left and headed quickly through the brush until she happened across a small patch of land where everything had been torn down. 'Here it is…' she thought, 'but what happened here…?'_

_Surrounding a small fire pit sat four men, samurai by the looks of their attire. They all appeared to have been resting by the heat of the fire, no longer burning, and all would have appeared normal had any of the men's head's still been intact. _

_Kagome knelt down next to one of the headless bodies. 'A clean cut…what could have caused this?' _

"_La?" An unfamiliar voice broke through her thoughts, "do you like what I've done with the place?" _

_The startled half demon spun around to face the woman behind her. She had bright red eyes, a head of short black hair and wore skimpy black clothing that hardly covered the necessary areas. But none of that surprised Kagome as much as the fact that, despite her obvious lack of anything physically keeping her afloat, she seemed to be standing in the middle of the night sky. _

_Kagome gave the creature a wary look but said nothing. _

_So the nameless woman continued, "I'm known as Yura of the hair…" she smiled cruelly down at the half demon, "I thought I sensed something dirty moving around in my web, but you do have a nice head of hair…I wouldn't mind taking it…" _

_Kagome scowled at her. "What are you talking about?" she demanded. _

_Yura cocked her head a bit to one side at this. 'La? You can't see it then?" she paused, then that cruel smile crawled back onto her lips, "let me help you understand…" _

_Kagome stiffened as she felt something wire-like wrapping itself around her body suddenly. She squirmed and struggled but within seconds she was wrapped snuggly in the invisible trap. "What the hell…?" she snarled, her gaze shooting upwards towards the woman in the sky. _

"_Hmm?" Yura said, curiously staring back at Kagome. "So you can't be cut by my hair?" _

"_Hair?" Kagome asked, twisting her head around to look down at her body. Invisible lines had wrapped themselves around her whole body, prinking her skin, but not cutting it. "Is that what this is…? Hair?" she turned back towards Yura, intent on getting answers, despite her situation. "You beheaded those samurai so you could have their hair?' _

"_Smart one, aren't you?" Yura cooed, "But I will have your hair…let's try this…" _

_With a flick of her wrists, Yura send Kagome crashing backwards into the thick trunk of a tree. Kagome hissed as she felt the hair strapping her down, climbing up her body, and trying to cut into her neck. _

"_Nice try!" She spat, "but you won't defeat me that easily!" That said, the half demon arched forward and was satisfied with the groan of the wood as the tree came crashing down in splinters behind her. The hair slackened around her body just in time for the half demon to leap away._

…

"She was kind of pissed…and then she left…" Kagome said. "Anyway, she probably won't be coming back there so there's not much point in going that way."

Inuyasha scowled at her, 'How do we know you're telling the truth?"

Kagome shrugged. "You don't."

"H-hey…guys…"

Kohaku's choked words caught the attention of his two companions and both turned to look in the direction he pointed. "I…I think she's found us…"

"Shit!" inuyasha snapped, jumping to his feet, "That's all hair?"

"What is?" Kagome asked, turning back to face the swordsman. "I don't see anything…"

"How can you not see it?" Inuyasha snapped, drawing his sword and preparing himself for battle. "It's huge! It's right in front of us!"

Indeed a huge mass of hair stood at least as tall as the trees, coiled and ready to strike at any moment. A handful of single threads drifted from the mass, tangling through the trees and weaving a web around the three.

"We've got to get out of here…before that thing has us totally caged in…" Kohaku pointed out, glancing back and forth, looking desperately for a place that the hair was lacking. There wasn't one.

"Fine then." Inuyasha snapped, "Get ready to run." He lifted Tetsusaiga, looking carefully for something only he could see. "There!" He shouted, bringing his massive blade down. "Kaze no Kizu!"

Giant claws raked the ground in front of them, ripping the ground to pieces, tearing down trees and brush and cutting through the hair, just enough that the threesome could dart through a temporary gap and retreat to safety. It didn't take long before the mass recovered however, and it twisted and turned as it followed after them.

"Damn…I thought Tetsusauga would be more effective against it…" Inuyasha mused as the group ran, to where they weren't quite sure yet.

"What do you expect, it's hair." Kagome countered, glancing over her shoulder. It was true that she couldn't see the hair, but she could hear it as it whipped after them, and she could see the branches snap as it cut into them.

Inuyasha glared at the half demon running next to him. "There has to be a source, some sort of nest where all of this hair is coming from…if we find that, we'll find the monster controlling it!"

"Wait…" Kagome said, as she glanced at the two men beside her, "if I lift one of you up you could find out where all of this is coming from, right?"

"It's worth a shot…" Kohaku said, "I'll keep running, Take Inuyasha-sama with you…"

"What?" The swordsman howled, "Like hell I'm letting her—"

"Quit complaining!" Kagome said as she ducked underneath his arm and took flight above the trees, carrying him with her. "And don't move," she ordered once they were out of the hair's reach, "it's hard enough to carry you without you struggling."

"I know already," The man spat. He turned his gaze to the ground. He could clearly see the masses of hair that followed Kohaku by the destructive path they left behind, but what caught his attention was the net of hairs surrounding the area. Several threads in particular had an aura attached to them, giving them a faint glow that stood out among the rest.

"There," he pointed to the glowing hairs, "those must be the controlling hairs, if we follow those…"

"Are we going in the right direction, anyway?" the half demon asked.

"Yeah," Inuyasha frowned as he caught sight of Kohaku below, fending off the hair as it tried to attack him from all directions. "There's more now…" he pointed out, than his eyes grew wide as he caught sight of the nest that they approached. Below there was a steep drop off that lead to a caved in floor where the hair had massed together into a huge ball. The floor of the cave in was littered with skulls of all sizes.

"This must be the nest..." Inuyasha started. His eyes widened further as a huge mass of hair rose up above the trees and shot towards them, "in front of you!" He yelled to Kagome, flying beside him, but she responded to late the hair mass easily wrapped around her arm, taking the two together and tossing them to the bone covered ground.

The two landed in a heap, one on top of the other, and Kohaku barely missed landing on top of them as he flung himself from cliff and landed in pile among the skulls. "Ugh…" the younger man groaned as he looked around him, "this is…"

"Get off of me." Kagome snarled, pushing Inuyasha away from her as she stood. "That landing was terrible…"

"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed, glaring at her, "thanks to your crappy flying skills."

"Thanks to your crappy directions…" Kagome retorted.

"So you have found my nest have you?"

The three looked up to find Yura, suspended in the air once more by her hair and grinning down at them. "My, my…you all have such beautiful hair. I can't wait to add it to my collection." Her expression turned wicked, "who would like to be first?"

…

_AN: Yup, that's the end of chapter 5! I kind of lied about the new character being introduced (I wasn't talking about Yura)… she'll be in the next chapter. Speaking of which, it's already half way finished so it really should be up soon! I'm hoping to post it before May 5__th__, I'll be gone to TX for a few days and won't be able to write. _

_Chapter 6… (Fairy Tales) After a bloody battle with Yura of the hair our victories warriors need a rest, but before they can get too comfortable a new character pops her head in…and how does she know Kagome? _

_Toodles! – K _


	6. Chapter 6

_FYI, Hoshi doesn't belong to me either…in fact; the majority of the characters in this story belong to someone else…but don't worry! There are a handful of fluffy, huggable, lovable wolfies coming up in later chapters, and they are ALL MINE! :D_

_BTW, I'd like to thank all my readers for their awesome reviews, I love reading them, and it helps me stay motivated (hint, hint, wink, wink)! Anyway, on with the story, hope you enjoy the newest upload! _

**Chapter 6: Fairy Tales **

Previously:

"So you have found my nest have you?"

The three looked up to find Yura, suspended in the air once more by her hair and grinning down at them. "My, my…you all have such beautiful hair. I can't wait to add it to my collection." Her expression turned wicked, "who would like to be first?"

The group was silent as they scowled up at her.

"No volunteers?" Yura asked lifting her hands into the air, fingers splayed. "Well I'll just have to choose then won't I?"

As she lifted her hands Kohaku and Inuyasha could see that a few individual hairs were wrapped snuggly around each of her fingers so that she could direct the masses of hair like a puppeteer directs a puppet. The demon woman grinned as her eyes raked over the threesome, or more particularly, their hair. "Hmm," she mused, "who to pick, who to pick? How about you… in the middle, you can be my first target."

With a flick of her wrist she directed the mass of hair in Inuyasha's direction, but he was ready. "Not a chance!" Inuyasha spat, drawing Tetsusaiga from its sheath and bringing it down upon the mass of hair as it approached, spiting it into pieces.

"Oh, a feisty one…" Yura said, but she wasn't deterred, "but you forgot…the hair grows…"

The swordsman let out a shout of surprise when, instead of retreating like he expected, the hair wrapped around his arms and legs and pulled him up into the sky and closer to Yura.

"Inuyasha-sama!" Kohaku called out, eyes wide as he watched his companion being carried into the sky and then hung there, mere feet from the demon woman. But Inuyasha managed to make it into the air unscathed by the hair's damaging powers.

Yura frowned at this, apparently unpleased with her inability to cut through what appeared to be normal human clothing. "What is wrong with you? Why won't you won't DIE!" She snapped, making a fist and causing the hair to tighten around his clothing. The hair cut past Inuyasha's vest, but his haori and hakama easily stood up to its powers.

"What's wrong bitch?" Inuyasha teased, confident despite his current predicament. "Looks like your hair just ain't strong enough…"

"What is that…?" Kagome asked from below, turning to face Kohaku for answers. "Those clothes he's wearing aren't normal are they?"

"The younger man shook his head. "They are made from the fur of the fire rat; they are nearly indestructible… fire proof too…"

Yura, having heard the exchange of words, turned back to the swordsman with a grin. "So you thought you could fool me?" she asked, her cruel grin already returning. "Well if I can't cut through your clothes I'll just have to cut off your head!" The demon woman then curled her fingers and watched in glee as several hairs wrapped around the man's uncovered neck.

She was distracted from her task however when a pair of sharp claws ripped over her back, her surprise causing the hairs to loosen on Inuyasha's neck and only cut through the surface of his skin. Kagome, who now clung to a mass of hair nearby scowled up at the now recovering hair demon. "That was sloppy of you, Yura…" she taunted, "forgetting about your other opponents like that…"

"And you?" Yura called back, "What is a creature like you doing with warriors like these? Are you playing "guard dog"?"

"Gu…" Kagome pulled a face. "Ha! As if!"

Inuyasha meanwhile had his own plan forming. When Kagome had distracted Yura earlier it hadn't only been the hairs around his neck that had loosened, the hair holding his arms had also slackened, enough so that he could now use his sword. "Tetsusaiga!" he shouted, bringing the blade down across Yura's chest, who had once more been caught off guard by the dynamic duo.

The hair loosened further and Inuyasha easily squirmed from its hold, landing neatly on the ground with Kagome, who landed beside him and then swatted at him with one hand. "What was that for?" She snapped, "You could have warned me!"

"And what…" the man responded dryly, "lose my chance to cut you up along with the demon?"

"You…"

"You're both fools!" Yura howled from above as she dove down towards the threesome, carried by her hair, and drew her own blade. It wasn't nearly the size of Inuyasha's, nor did it have the power, but it could cut flesh, and Kagome was her target.

Kagome caught the blade in her hands, snarling as it cut past her palms and penetrated her belly. "Why you…" she seethed at the wickedly grinning demon above her. She was able to push the woman back easily, but the wound was deep and she crumpled to her knees with one hand covering her injured belly.

"Kagome-san…" Kohaku made it to the woman's side and hovered nervously, "are you alright?" When the only response he received from the half demon was a handful of muffled curse words he turned to Inuyasha. "How is Yura still alive? After something like Tetsusauga cutting through her I'd think…"

"She still has the wound…" Inuyasha pointed out, noting the gaping hole in the demon's chest. "But it's not affecting her…"

"Have you not figured it out yet?" Yura asked, seemingly returned to her more relaxed demeanor now that her revenge had been fulfilled. She grinned as she brought the bloody edge of her weapon to her lips. "I'm immortal. You won't be able to kill me."

"What?" Kohaku yelped.

"Mmhmm…" Yura continued with a smile, "and with that half demon out of the way it shouldn't take long at all to take care of the two of you." She said with a laugh. With a wave of her hand Yura sent yet another mass of hair tumbling down towards the two humans.

"Kohaku, your weapon!" Inuyasha snapped at the younger man. "Get ready!"

"Right, Inuyasha-sama!" Kohaku called back, pulling his oversized weapon from his back and flinging it towards the mass of hair. Though when the chain sickle was thrown its blade tangled with the hair and drifted off course, instead ripping into the large nest of hair that hung farther back.

Inuyasha who had managed to tear through the hair with his blade, only to be caught up in it and suspended in the air once more watched as Kohaku pulled his weapon back and caught it effortlessly. The damage to the nest had been done however, and hundreds of skulls tumbled from the nest as it sunk to the ground.

"My darlings!" Yura cried out, turning furiously towards Kohaku, "you've made me angry, boy! That will be your last mistake!" She screamed as she dove down towards him, her blade ready. But Kohaku, when not faced with a mass of indestructible hair, was quite skilled in fighting and easily blocked the attack with his own weapon. The two blades clashed together over and over again as they fought.

"Persistent aren't you?" Yura teased as the blades came together again, she pushed forward and knocked Kohaku off of his feet and onto his back. "Stay there until I'm ready for you, won't you?" She said as she danced backwards through the air a few steps. "Or should I just kill you now?"

Kohaku had other plans, and threw the sickle into the air and watching in satisfaction as it sliced through her right wrist before rolling away. "Inuyasha-sama!" He called up to his companion.

"Kohaku, watch it!" The older man snapped.

Kohaku turned just in time to see the very hand that he had cut off racing towards him, blade still in its grasp. He let out a shout and feel backwards to avoid having his head taken, but the sharp edge of Yura's dagger still managed to slice into his shoulder as it flew by.

"Kohaku! Are you alright?" Inuyasha called to him, squirming in his bindings. "Hey, Kohaku!"

"That's what you get for thinking you could attack me, boy!" Yura spat, having since recovered from losing a hand. It didn't seem to affect her, and she was still able to control the hair to some extent with her one hand.

'_It made a difference though…' _Inuyasha thought as he watched her struggling to overcompensate. _'If we can somehow distract her and take the other hand…' _he caught sight of Kagome then who, despite having been stabbed, was standing guard near Kohaku's body. "Hey Yura," he called out to the demon. "Having trouble with only one hand?" He taunted, hoping Kagome would catch on to his suggestion. It seemed to work, her gaze snapped to Yura and then back to him, eyes narrowed._ 'If I can provide a distraction maybe she can get the job done…'_ he thought.

"Is that what you think?" Yura asked, sailing up towards him. "I don't need two hands to take care of you!" she snapped, and outstretching both arms at her sides she once again commanded the hair to attack. This time a cluster of skulls that had fallen from the nest rushed forward towards him, jaws clattering together as they thundered over him.

"What are you trying to pull?" Inuyasha yelled back, easily knocking the skulls away from his body with one free arm. Then he caught the sound of Yura's blade whistling through the air, and only narrowly missed having his head taken off from behind. Instead the blade only nicked his left cheek.

"Didn't forget me again did you?" Kagome snarled, leaping up from behind Yura, burying her claws in the woman's back and ripping her other remaining hand off with sharp claws. "Now how powerful are you?"

"Fool!" Yura screamed, even as her nest of hair came crashing to the ground, Inuyasha tangled along with it. "I thought I told you, you can't kill me!" She continued, turning to see the pained look on the half demon's face as her blade, led by one of both now unattached hands, tore into Kagome's backside.

Yura wavered for a moment after Kagome had leapt away from her body, as the hairs that had been supporting her fell away completely, but she was just as agile on the ground as she was in the air, even without her arms. "I thought I'd taken care of you earlier, but apparently I was wrong." She cried, "I'll just have to kill you before I take care of these foolish humans!"

She raced towards the injured half demon, now travelling on foot, and once again attacked with her dagger bearing hand.

Kagome yelped as Yura's blade again cut through her chest before she had even gotten to her feet. "Damn you…" she choked out, grabbing the weapon, and the unattached hand that had controlled it and holding them firmly. "Can't do much now can you?"

"You think so do you?" Yura called out, undaunted by the half demon's move, but she was shocked into silence then, and spun around to face Inuyasha. He had since regained his footing and knelt not far away. In one hand he held Kohaku's abandoned sickle, and in the other he held a skull. It looked just as ordinary as the rest, aside from a faint glow that surrounded it and a few single strands of hair that were threaded through the jaw and eye sockets.

Inuyasha grinned back at her. "So it's this one, huh?" he asked, pressing the point of the blade into the dense bone. "If I destroy this, what will happen?"

"I'll kill you!" Yura screamed, charging towards him.

Inuyasha moved quickly though, lifting the sickle over his head and bringing it down hard on the top of the skull. Following was the sickening crack as the bone caved under the weapon's strength. Three pairs of eyes watched as Yura melted away into the air, leaving only the few articles of clothing that had barely covered her figure to blow away in a gentle breeze.

"Damn…" Inuyasha cursed as he stared down at the crushed skull below his fingers. "That wasn't easy…"

He stood up then, gathering the chain sickle together and moving towards Kohaku. "Hey, Kohaku, are you alright to walk on your own?" Inuyasha asked, stepping up beside him. "Your shoulder is…"

"I'll be fine Inuyasha-sama, I only need some rest." The boy reassured him, taking the weapon from him. "Thank you."

Inuyasha turned then to Kagome. She still sat where Yura had left her, basking in the glow of victory and perhaps taking a moment to rest too. She had the worst wounds out of the three of them, but Inuyasha wasn't planning on being sympathetic. "We're going now Kagome, we've lost enough time already. Hurry up." He barked at her, turning to leave without waiting for a reply.

The half demon watched him walk away for a moment, shocked into silence by his words, before struggling to her feet and following after him obediently. Kohaku had to smile as he watched the two walk side by side, for once seeming peaceful in each other's presence. "You two make a pretty good team…you know?" He pointed out, "you both worked together to take Yura down."

"What?" Kagome snapped, glancing over her shoulder to nail the boy with a nasty look. "As if, I could have taken care of her all on my own if you two hadn't gotten in my way!"

"That explains how you got so bloody, right?" Inuyasha added as he delivered a firm smack to the woman's backside and let out a bark of laughter as she crumpled to the ground. "You can hardly even stand!"

"Y…you shut up!"

Nearby a small creature watched the trio from behind a few low branches. "So, I've finally found you…Kagome."

…

The next morning Inuyasha stood outside the village, speaking with the inn keeper while Kohaku prepared the horses for the next leg of the journey.

"All of my people have returned to normal thanks to your heroic acts of kindness, how can we ever thank you for your services? Please… if there's anything…"

"It's really fine," Inuyasha said, waving a dismissive hand in the inn keeper's direction. "Providing us with two nights of rest and your medical supplies was plenty." He continued, touching the cloth on his cheek for emphasis. "We have to be on our way now."

"Thank you." The inn keeper spoke again, "if there is ever anything you need, please, think of us."

"Is everything settled then?" Kohaku asked as Inuyasha approached him.

"Ah." Inuyasha responded. He took his horse from Kohaku, and after giving the younger boy a leg up he mounted himself and the two rode out. "Where's Kagome gone?"

"She's gotten a head start." Kohaku answered, "I offered to let her take one of our horses to use while her wounds healed but she refused."

"Feh…"

"Err…Inuyasha…" Kohaku started, glancing at the older man nervously. "When did you start calling Kagome-san by her name? Do you…perhaps… like her a bit more now?"

Inuyasha stiffened in the saddle, glaring sideways at Kohaku. "Are you kidding me? She's handy on the battle field, that's all!" He barked, urging his horse to move ahead.

Kohaku chuckled, _'he's in denial…isn't he?'_ he thought.

…

Several hours and many miles later Inuyasha, Kagome and Kohaku all rested together near the side of the trail. The two humans in the group had pulled out food for themselves while Kagome looked over her already healing wounds.

"Kagome-san?" Kohaku asked, "Are you doing better now?"

"They're nearly healed." Kagome answered, poking at her belly wound with one clawed finger and wincing slightly. "Not quite." She decided, "But it'll be much easier to travel this way…"

"It better," Inuyasha spoke in between mouthfuls of food. "We've been gone two days and haven't covered nearly as much distance as was expected. We're going to pick up the pace…"

"Can't wait…" Kagome grumbled, sharing an exasperated look with Kohaku. Her ears perked up then and she stood quickly, glancing towards the trees.

"Kagome-san…?"

"Shh!" She hissed, eyes raking the tree branches around them. "I hear something…"

'_The sound of wings beating,'_ she thought, taking a sniff of the air. _'No…couldn't be…could it?' _

"Kaaaagoooomeeee…"

Kagome pulled a face. "It is…"

The two men who had been watching her curiously up until now found their weapons and stood, prepared for battle._ 'But it's strange…'_ Inuyasha thought, watching his half demon companion carefully, _'I'm not picking up anything. It's only because Kagome has_ _a heightened sense of smell and hearing…' _

"Hey." Kagome called to them, "don't bother with your weapons… it's not worth it."

A spark of blinding green light shot from the trees then, tearing towards Kagome with a speed only imaginable to humans and parking itself only inches from the half demon's nose. "How rude of you Kagome," the spark snapped at her, "You ruined my entrance!"

"Hoshi…" Kagome said, greeting the creature with only a touch of hesitance. "Long time no see… what's up?"

The glowing creature, upon closer inspection, was actually a woman, and despite her short stature was hard to miss with her energetic person and colorful clothing. She had vibrant green eyes and soft auburn hair that fell just past her shoulders. Two pairs of feathered wings, crimson red in color, beat furiously to mimic her frustrated character.

Her Kimono was dark green with a thick orange obi that wrapped around her waist. The kimono itself only went to her knees and she wore tights that matched her skin tone along with a rather small pair of shoes on her feet. To complete her outfit, a small green crystal that matched her eyes rather well hung from her neck.

"What's up?" The creature, Hoshi, barked. "What's up? What do you mean "what's up"? I've been looking for you for the past three years! Where have you been, hiding under a rock?"

Kagome shrank back slightly, "err…maybe you haven't been…looking hard enough?"

"I haven't been…" the creature made a face, "you're kidding right?"

Kagome shrugged.

Silence followed.

Finally, Inuyasha, who had been watching the exchange with interest until now coughed, purposefully and fearlessly bringing the tiny creature's attention to himself. "Just what exactly are you…?" The man asked rudely, folding his arms over his chest and settling the two with an unimpressed scowl.

Hoshi stared back. "Me? You can't tell?" She then took off through the air and settled herself in front of the man. "I am a fairy, a forest fairy to be exact, and just what business do you have with Kagome?" She barked, jerking a thumb in the half-demon's direction.

"Reluctant travelling companion…" Inuyasha grumbled, taking a step back to distance himself from the energetic little creature. "You said you're a fairy right? I thought fairies were supposed to be…gentle…"

"Inuyasha-sama!" Kohaku who had also been watching the exchange with growing interest grabbed the older man's sleeve and tugged him back. "Inuyasha-sama, fairies are rare, pure creatures! You shouldn't be so rude…"

"That's right…" Hoshi said, folding her arms and nailing Inuyasha with a firm look. "I'm no ordinary fairy either… many years ago I was chosen to be the head manager of the—"

"Hey Hoshi…" Kagome cut the fairy off effortlessly as she reached out and snatched the small creature from the air, holding her perhaps a little too tightly in her hand. "They don't need to know about that just yet." She glanced up at her human travelling companions then, "I'll be just a minute…"

With that said she left two bewildered men and wandered off deeper into the woods, ignoring the muffled protests of her captive. Once the two had made it out of hearing range of the two humans Kagome lifted the fairy up and plopped her, not at all gently on her shoulder. "Alright talk." She barked. "What did you come all the way out here for?"

Hoshi scowled at her. "How could you…" she turned to look at her crumpled feathers, "grabbing me like that…now how am I supposed to fly…?"

"Hoshi…"

"Fine, fine," Hoshi retorted even as she pulled one damaged wing into her lap and began stroking the feathers gently. "I should turn you into a toad for that…"

"Hoshi!"

The fairy rolled her eyes. "You know why I'm looking for you. Ever since your mother was killed the wolves in the north have been going nuts scrambling for a new leader, Koga has taken the role for the time being…"

"Koga has?" Kagome snapped, nearly knocking the small woman from her shoulder as she turned her head to scowl down at her. "He doesn't have the right too… what about…?"

"Koga does have royal blood you know." Hoshi pointed out, "and I hate to say it but most of the wolves there are behind him. He's strong, he's fast _and_ he knows how to lead a pack. The beta pack has split up… Kazuo, Toshiko and Satoshi left and have been residing together in the mountains for almost a year now…"

Kagome let out a ruthless snarl. "Damn that Koga, he… he tries to screw with me every chance he gets, doesn't he?"

"Actually, he's taken Ayame as his mate…"

Kagome sent the fairy an exasperated look. "That's _not_ what I meant."

"Anyway," Hoshi continued, "I don't know what you're doing here, travelling with a group of humans of all things, but you should head North and take care of things there. The beta pack can't do it by themselves, they need your help." Silence followed for a moment and the two found themselves lost in their own thoughts. After a moment Hoshi spoke up again, "what _are_ you doing travelling with those humans, anyway?"

Kagome sighed as she dropped into a seated position, grabbing the fairy, a little more gently this time, and moving her to the ground. "You know the Shikon no Tama…"

"Of course."

"Those two are from the village that protects it. They're travelling to sign an agreement with the four gods…for the protection of their village…"

"Really," Hoshi looked skeptical now, "and you're what, their guard dog?"

"…" Kagome settled the fairy with a frustrated look, and then averted her eyes. "I don't know…"

"Kagome listen," The fairy started, "You don't have time to be travelling with a bunch of humans, no matter how important a journey they are on, what you need to do is head North and—"

"The humans are heading in that direction anyway," Kagome interrupted impatiently, "The others can wait a while longer. And anyway, it's not like I can just barge in there, kick Koga out and be done with it…"

"Why?" Hoshi asked, faking surprise. "That's what you've always done in the past…"

Kagome didn't respond.

"Seriously Kagome, this is important. At least now I can alert the beta pack as to your whereabouts. They can gather back together and meet up with you and you can make a plan from there…"

Kagome remained silent, minutes passed and she still said nothing.

Hoshi meanwhile, becoming impatient, gave the half demon a firm smack on her knee, a reminder that she was still there and waiting for answers. "Kagome, you shouldn't be daydreaming at a time like this!"

"I'm thinking." The half demon barked finally.

"About?" The fairy probed.

Kagome sighed and stood up, brushing herself off and turning back in the direction they had come from earlier. "I'm not going." She glanced over her shoulder at the startled fairy, "I made a promise and I intend to keep it. I'll get there; it just might take me longer then you would like. I never had any intention of being anybody's leader anyway…not even when Kaasan was still alive…she wanted me to but…"

"You're kidding…" Hoshi barked, mouth gaping like a fish, "You have a duty to attend to, whether you want to do it or not!"

Kagome shrugged and started walking. "Why don't you go tell Kazuo and the others I'm alive and well, I think they'll appreciate it, oh…" she turned again, "And gather them back together in the mountains… all of them."

Hoshi was silent for a long moment as she watched her half demon companion wander back through the trees to where the two men waited. "Foo," The fairy scoffed, taking flight on her feathered wings. "It's more important that I babysit for you!"

…

Inuyasha and Kohaku watched as the two women emerged from the trees. Neither looked at all pleased with the other at that particular moment.

"Hey," Inuyasha barked after a moment of silence, "What in the hells is going on between you two?"

Kagome jerked a thumb in Hoshi's direction. "She wants to come with us…" she said, "it's not a bad idea I guess, she could be kind of helpful…"

"I could be extremely helpful!" Hoshi corrected, "Especially if the three of you are as lost as Kagome says you are…"

"They are." Kagome corrected the fairy, "I'm not."

"We're not lost." Inuyasha corrected both of them. "We have a map." He turned then to nail Hoshi with a firm look. "How is something as small as yourself supposed to be of any help to us?"

"Well…" she started, "I do know where the four kingdoms are, especially the northern kingdom, ruled by the wolves." She caught Inuyasha about to question and continued, "It's kind of a long story, so don't ask unless you want me to talk your ear off. You did say earlier you were in a hurry, yes? Oh, I'm not too bad on the battle field either, I know, I know, doesn't seem right because I'm so small, right? Well I can still fight, I used to practice with Kagome when she was just a pup in fact, then she got big…and mean. I'm not the greatest cook so don't rely on me for that one…hmm, what else…"

As she continued she was faced with two shocked and slightly lost expressions from both men. Kohaku turned to Inuyasha with wide eyes, "do you think she can be trusted Inuyasha-sama? She does seem to know Kagome-san well, but…"

Before Inuyasha could answer however, the talkative little fairy danced through the sky and landed neatly on Kohaku's bandaged shoulder, startling him. "I can help here too, hold still now." She then bent down and laid one hand gently on the bandages, a soft green glow emitting from her fingers. A moment later the fairy leapt back into the air, wiping a hand across her brow and smiling sincerely down at Kohaku. "I healed you."

"She's right…" Kohaku said, shrugging his previously healing shoulder up and down a few times. "It feels a little sore still but…"

"Show me."Inuyasha demanded, and watched intently as the younger man ripped the bandages away and tugged his clothing back to reveal clear skin and no sign of injury. He turned back to Hoshi then with a scowl, "how can we trust you?"

Hoshi folded her little arms and planted him with unimpressed look, "that's a funny thing to ask…you trust Kagome, don't you?"

"No."

Hoshi pulled a face, and turned to look over her shoulder incredulously at Kagome, who didn't look at all surprised by the swordsman's reply. "Well…if Kagome is traveling along with you and you don't trust her then what's the problem with adding one more untrustworthy person to the group? Not to say that I'm untrustworthy…I look less dangerous then Kagome at the very least…"

"Fine," Inuyasha said, "but answer this first…why was I unable to sense your aura earlier?"

"Oh, that?' Hoshi said, brushing it off, "I can control my aura enough so that others can't feel me approaching." A grin crossed her lips then, "unfortunately I can't control my scent so Kagome totally ruined my big entrance…"

Inuyasha still looked skeptical, but after a moment of silence he finally agreed. "Fine then," he said, "but I'm still carrying this map…"

And so the group packed up their things, pointed south, and with the little fairy leading the way they headed out once more.

…

_AN: It's done! Yippee! :D_

_So in case you haven't noticed…Hoshi is a talker…she could provide a good distraction at the very least, right? ;)_

_Chapter 7 (orphan), after using some serious fire power the gang manages to save a princess from being kissed, or killed, by a frog (demon) and they hit the trails once more. They don't get far before they come across a village that has been burnt to the ground, but one little boy has managed to survive the attack on his home… _

_Toodles! – K _


	7. Chapter 7

_My apologies for having this chapter take FOREVER to get here. It was hard to write, and I'm still not pleased with all of it, but I decided to post it anyway. I hope you enjoy it! _

_Oh—and did I forget to mention that Kagome's fire is blue? Same color as her eyes…now you know! _

_**PLEASE READ!**_

_A little note to my wonderful reviewers, the pairings in this story are all canon or at the very least suggested throughout the anime/manga series, Inuyasha and Kagome (believe it or not), Miroku and Sango, Sesshoumaru and Kagura and maybe, just maybe, Kohaku and Rin. _

_And for those wondering, the demons that our lovable little group will be fighting will probably stick pretty close to the original demons in the manga/anime…at least until they get past Sesshoumaru. _

**Chapter 7: The** _Princess_ **and** _the Frog_

"Pity about the weather huh?" Hoshi said from the shelter of a tree's branches, "it's been raining all day…"

Kohaku and Kagome also used the trees around them to provide partial shelter from the rain. "Ah," Kohaku said, "Inuyasha-sama isn't pleased…"

"He's never pleased." Kagome reminded the man beside her. "He just happens to be especially unpleased at this particular moment."

The three watched from their shelter as Inuyasha loaded the horses with supplies, making sure their load was protected from the rain properly by lifting a heavy straw matt overtop the horse's backs. Up until recently he had stood beside Kagome, Kohaku and Hoshi to protect himself, but he could only stay idle for so long.

"You're going to catch your death out there if you don't dry off soon!" Hoshi called to him, "I can only heal wounds, I can't cure illnesses!"

"Shut up!" The swordsman barked, turning to glare at his companions through the rain, "there is a place a few miles from here, we can stop there for the night and rest."

He was faced with three incredulous looks from his friends.

"He's kidding, right?" Hoshi asked the other two, "he can't really want us to travel in this mess…"

Kagome was the first to leave their shelter, followed shortly by Kohaku. Hoshi watched them go with wide eyes. "So they are serious…" she grumbled, even as she zipped through the damp air after them, "I can't believe I'm doing this!"

…

Many miles later the group arrived at their destination. The rain had stopped, but night was quickly approaching them and a chill was beginning to creep into the air, making them shiver in their wet clothes. The entire party was in a foul mood and more than ready for a warm meal and a soft bed. The little village they had expected instead turned out to be a castle however, and heavy wooden walls surrounded the property keeping unwanted strangers, including them, out.

"Hey…Heeeey…!" Inuyasha hollered as he pounded on one wooden pillar that, alongside many others made up the rather unwelcoming looking wall. "Hey, damn it! Let us in!"

"This is where you thought we could get shelter?" Kagome snapped at him, "These people aren't looking for wandering strangers to fill their rooms!"

"I don't see anybody out…" Hoshi said, flying back down to them from her perch atop the wooden structure, "maybe we should just move on and look for shelter elsewhere."

"It's marked on the map." Inuyasha pointed out with a scowl, "our people have stayed here before."

"Oh…well in that case, let's just break down the walls and invite ourselves in, maybe they don't know we're here…" the fairy said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Wait!"

The small group turned simultaneously to find a young man attached to the voice who had called out to them. The newcomer didn't look any less soaked then the warriors waiting impatiently outside the wooden structure, in fact he looked even wetter and his blue robes were mostly covered in mud. He had a thick head of black hair that had been pulled high atop his head in a ponytail and stared bravely at the group through dark brown eyes, "you are trespassers on this royal land, it belongs to the prince and princess that rule here!" he said, marching towards them. He didn't get far however before one foot slid on the wet ground and he landed with a thump on his backend.

"Are…are you alright?" Kohaku asked carefully as he approached the stranger, "do you know the people who live past these walls?"

"I do." The man spoke, regaining his composure in record time. "My name is Nobunaga, and I've come from a land far from here to rescue the princess! What business do you have here? If you are trespassers I will have to ask you to leave. "

"A rescue, huh? He doesn't look all that reliable though does he?" Hoshi whispered as she flew in beside Kagome and Inuyasha. The two watched Nobunaga with similar expressions of disbelief.

"What's this rescue you're talking about?" Inuyasha asked. "Are you suggesting that the people that live here are in danger?"

"It's not something I should discuss with trespassers." Nobunaga said as he wiped mud from his brow. He made his way to his feet again, adjusted his clothing and looked up into the night sky, past the heavy wooden barrier. "This is something I must do for myself; once I know the princess is safe…my life will be complete!"

He was met with four unimpressed looks.

"We're not trespassers. Maybe it would help if you knew our names?" Hoshi asked as she flew up next to Nobunaga, startling him. "If that's the case, my names Hoshi, the two men there are Inuyasha and Kohaku respectively…" she said as she pointed them out, "Kagome is…"

"You're a fairy!" Nobunaga interrupted her then, "a sign of good luck!"

"Well…that's legend actually…"

"Listen up Nobunaga," Inuyasha snapped, making his way over to him. "We come from a village East of here where the Shikon no Tama resides. We're on our way to the Western lands to speak with the ruler there and ask for his assistance protecting our village." He then pulled out his map and jabbed one finger on a small red dot among many others on the paper. "The people here have taken care of our warriors in the past while they made the same journey to the four kingdoms. We're not to be called trespassers, understood?"

Nobunaga nodded dumbly.

"Good." Inuyasha said. "Now what is this rescue talk you've been spouting?"

"Princess Tsuyu!" Nobunaga shouted, as if he'd just remembered his reason for traveling to the castle. He ran past Inuyasha to the wall where he threw his fist against the hard wooden surface over and over again, calling out the princess's name.

"We've already tried that." Kagome pointed out from where she leaned back against the tall structure. "If you know these people can't you find the way in? You've been here before haven't you?"

"Oh…" Nobunaga started, "Well I've never actually been here before, you see, the princess and I were great friends as children, but…"

"You're kidding, right?" Inuyasha snapped, approaching him. "Just how were you planning on getting in when you arrived in the first place?"

"I'm…I'm not sure…" Nobunaga admitted sheepishly.

"Inuyasha-sama…" Kohaku called from beside them, "this should work," Kohaku continued as he pulled his oversized weapon from his shoulders and took the attached chain in his hands. He spun the weighted end above his head a few times before throwing it upwards towards the top of the fence. The end hooked over the top and held fast, even when Kohaku put all of his weight into it. He turned back to Inuyasha then, "We can climb up this way."

"Right, good thinking Kohaku," Inuyasha replied and watched as Kohaku took the lead and started walking his way up the wall. He made it to the top and then waved to the others, signaling that they could come, before disappearing on the opposite side. "Nobunaga, I'll go next, and then you can follow." Inuyasha said, before taking ahold of the chain and following after Kohaku.

Kagome meanwhile scaled the wall in one leap, balancing at the top for a moment to take in her surroundings. She then turned to her companions on either side of the wall, "something's not right," she called down to them, "I'll check it out."

Kohaku and Hoshi watched her go while they waited for Inuyasha to join them on the opposite side of the wall, and he did seconds later. "Nobunaga, you can climb up now!" He called past the structure, waiting rather impatiently as he scorned the grounds with narrowed eyes. After only a handful of moments and only the sound of Nobunaga's failed attempts to climb the wall followed, he turned a frustrated look back over his shoulder. "Hey Nobunaga, hurry it up!" He snapped.

"Must be some sort of spell here…" Kagome said as she returned, "all of the guards are in a deep sleep, they won't wake for anything…"

"Good, that'll make it easier to get through without answering questions." Inuyasha muttered as he turned back to face his half demon companion, "go get Nobunaga and we can go."

"What?" Kagome snapped, staring at the swordsman incredulously, "why do I have to…?"

"Who else do you think is going to do it?" Inuyasha snapped back, "and hurry it up! The faster you get him the faster we can rescue the princess!"

His words were soon followed by another one of Nobunaga's failed attempts as he scrambled up the wall only to fall onto his back seconds later. Inuyasha jerked his head in the direction of the wooden structure. "Go."

Kagome glared at him, but leapt up onto the wall with ease, gathering Kohaku's weapon before disappearing on the other side to retrieve Nobunaga. She returned seconds later with the man slung over her should like a sack of grain. The second his feet touched the ground Nobunaga scrambled away from the half demon and disappeared down the first passageway he came to, calling for the princess. Lamps were scattered around the property, leaving the passageways light enough that the group could easily follow him as he went.

"He's not holding back, is he?" Hoshi commented.

"Do you think he maybe has a crush on the princess?" Kohaku asked.

"Well of course." The fairy continued, "If he doesn't then I can't imagine what's wrong with him."

The group followed him around the property, passing a handful of guards on their way. The men slept soundly, even with Nobunaga's loud voice echoing through the buildings around them. "Isn't there a better way to do this?" Kohaku asked, "Kagome-san, can you sniff out the princess?"

"I can't find anything without a scent to follow." Kagome pointed out as they followed Nobunaga through another hallway.

"Princess Tsuyu, are you here?" Nobunaga called as he disappeared into another room, "It's me Nobunaga, I've come to rescue you!" seconds later he called back to the group, "The princess is here! She's safe!"

The four followed him inside where Nobunaga sat, cradling a beautiful woman who wore thick layers of colorful clothing in his lap and had long black hair that rolled over her shoulders and down her back. A second woman, much older than the first, lay nearby.

"Princess…what have they done to you…?"

"I think she's just asleep like the rest," Hoshi pointed out as she flew over to him. "Say Nobunaga, what is the story behind this rescue, anyway?"

"I heard rumors when I was home about the prince stealing women away from nearby villages and never returning them." Nobunaga started, "and when I arrived at the castle earlier the guards were indeed leading women in from all parts…they disappeared past the castle walls and I didn't see them again."

"Well stealing groups of women away isn't particularly unheard of…" Hoshi pointed out. "It happens quite a bit, you know."

"He is not loyal to the princess!"

"The boy speaks the truth…" a new voice spoke up, and the group turned to see that the older woman had stood up. Her long gray hair, which swept down her back, and one cloudy blue eye showed her age. "I've seen beautiful young women coming in from all different places in the last couple days. They travel through the castle halls and disappear into the garden…never to be seen again. The princess and I were talking about it just this afternoon. She is worried for the prince."

"How are you still awake?" Inuyasha snapped, turning on her, "are you in league with the prince…?"

The woman turned to look at him with her good eye and scowled. "I was brought into the garden the first night and the prince rejected me…"

"Probably a good reason for that…" Inuyasha retorted sourly, "maybe he only likes young girls…"

"Inuyasha-sama…" Kohaku started, "that's rude…"

"I found out that only those who are awake are affected by the sleeping gas that the prince releases each night…" the old woman continued, ignoring the swordsman's rude comment. "It has already happened here tonight, the women that arrived earlier this morning will be traveling through these very halls at any time…"

The tiny group grew quiet then, as if listening for the very event to take place.

"Princess Tsuyu!" Nobunaga's shout cut through the silence, "Princess Tsuyu, you must resist the powers of the prince, he is not himself!"

The group turned to watch as the princess came to her feet. Her eyes were glazed over and her expression vacant of emotion as she made her way forward and towards the door. She didn't seem to hear Nobunaga's despite cries, or even see him standing before her.

"It has started." The old woman said. "There's no stopping her, or any of the other women that will go to him…"

"You don't have to be so negative." Hoshi grouched, "Is there not any way to find the prince and stop him…?"

The older woman shrugged as she turned to watch the princess walk past the door frame, Nobunaga following close behind. "The prince likes beautiful women…perhaps if you were of a more appropriate size you could blend with the other women and make it to where he keeps his stolen girls..."

"Kagome's here…" Kohaku pointed out, "perhaps she could do it…"

"Perfect." Inuyasha said, turning to face the half demon beside him, "you go find some real clothes and dress as a beautiful woman to fool the prince."

"Dress as a…" Kagome's surprised face soon turned to one of frustration and anger, "I'm already a woman, fool! I don't need to dress like one!" she barked.

"That's not what I meant!" Inuyasha yelled back, "I meant to change out of those clothes and into something that a real woman would wear! A kimono, change into a kimono!"

"And just where do you think I'm going to find a nice kimono to change into?"

"It's a castle stupid, it shouldn't be that hard!"

"I know where there are a few nice robes. They belong to the princess, but she doesn't use them often…" the old woman spoke up, "I can show you if you'd like…"

"If we're going to lure the prince out I might as well take part too, don't you think?" Hoshi spoke up as she lowered herself to the ground. For a moment she stood there, looking rather awkward as she was not even a foot off the ground, but then with a snap of her fingers she started to grow and within only a handful of seconds she stood only an inch of two shorter then Kagome. Her wings had not grown with her however and were left to tuck in between her shoulder blades.

"This is my human forum." Hoshi explained, looking over her now lengthened arms and body. "I can change into this forum at will, but I can't fly this way so it's usually better to stay small." She grinned at the gawking expressions on her male companion's faces. "What…did I surprise you?"

"Feh, of course not!" Inuyasha snapped, recovering quickly. "You both change quickly, before the women are taken…"

And with that said Kagome and Hoshi hurried after the older woman and into the next room.

…

Moments later Kagome and Hoshi stood in the garden, just in front of a small pond, both wearing thick, layered robes similar to those that the princess had worn. The princess stood nearby amongst a handful of other village women, all wearing the same vacant expression. Not far from them the men had ducked down behind the garden fences, awaiting the prince's arrival in hiding.

"This is stupid."

"Oh come on Kagome…it's not every day that you get to wear such nice clothes…"

"If I wanted to wear these stupid clothes I could have just stayed home." Kagome reminded her fairy companion with a growl.

Hoshi rolled her eyes and slid her arms into her sleeves. She enjoyed the soft materials she wore; it was a nice change of pace from wearing her normal battle garb. _'Kagome was never that type though, not even when she was a pup.' _She thought,_ 'too bad.' _

The sound of water moving within the small pond caught the attention of both women then, and their eyes snapped to the water. There, through the darkness, a pair of beady brown eyes poked up through the surface and a voice gurgled up past the water's surface, "Such beautiful women…would you like to come with me to my underwater palace…?"

Hoshi and Kagome both cringed as the demon emerged from the dark depths. "It's…it's a frog?" Kagome choked, taking a step back. "You've got to be kidding me…"

"Kagome, hush, if he figures it out then…"

But the frog didn't seem to notice a thing as he crept closer, his damp, green skin glowing in the moonlight. He still wore the robes of the prince whose body he had stolen, however they were stretched across his thick body. Clearly the prince had not been quite as large. The frog lifted one webbed hand to his lips where a cruel smirk appeared. "Hmm…come with me…" he said, and at his command the village women moved forward and followed the frog prince as he waded backwards through the water.

As he continued backwards through the pond a strange white glow took over the normally dark surface of the pond. As they looked through the water Hoshi and Kagome could see that the pond was actually quite deep, most likely because of the spell, and towards the bottom lay what appeared to be an underwater castle. Looking past it they could see four tall pillars and in between the pillars lay hundreds of see-through tunnels holding what appeared to be rows of giant frog eggs.

"Come with me…" the prince said again, and with a slightly sick feeling in their guts, the two followed him into the pond.

…

"They're going!" Inuyasha snapped, leaping from his hiding place and charging towards the pond alongside Nobunaga and Kohaku. By the time they reached the water however, the women and the frog prince had vanished underneath the water and the strange glow had left.

"What in the hell was that…?"

"Princess Tsuyu, Princess Tsuyu!" Nobunaga called as he tore out ahead of the other two and ran into the water. He made it all the way to the middle, where the water only lapped at his hips but continued crying for his princess, "Princess Tsuyu, can you hear me? It's Nobunaga!"

"The water won't let him pass, huh?" Inuyasha said with a frown, exchanging worried looks with Kohaku then. "We have no choice but to wait for them then…"

…

Meanwhile, Kagome and Hoshi had made it to the bottom of the pond where they stood along with the other women in front of the frog prince. Four large, stone pillars surrounded them, creating a dome within the water where moving about normally (as if on land) and breathing were both easily possible. Rows of frog eggs surrounded them, and the two could see nude women inside of them. Some of the women seemed to be caught in the middle of a transformation, their bodies had disappeared but their head remained, and behind it grew a fish like tail.

Kagome and Hoshi exchanged looks. _'That's what happens to the women that this frog bastard takes then, huh?' _Kagome thought,_ 'he traps them in the egg to turn them in to tadpoles, what for though?'_

Her thoughts were interrupted as the frog prince made his way through the crowd, approaching the princess who, along with the other women, continued to be in a deep sleep. "My princess…" the frog prince cried joyfully, "finally I have brought you to my palace. I will keep you until you grow into a strong, healthy frog and then you will become my wife."

Kagome and Hoshi cringed then._ 'We've got to stop him before he gets the princess inside one of those eggs…' _Hoshi thought, glancing over at her half demon companion and giving her a nod.

"Listen up frog…" Kagome barked, surprising the prince. "You aren't taking any more village women after tonight!"

The prince narrowed his large, amphibian eyes at her. "A half demon," He spat, "I don't remember catching you in my spell. Just how do you think you can stop me?"

"I haven't figured that out quite yet…" Kagome admitted, grinning, "But I'll start here!" she yelled as she leapt forward and raked her claws into the prince's left shoulder, effectively knocking him down and getting him away from the princess.

"Kagome, be careful!" Hoshi yelled, running forward to grab the princess as she fell backwards and lowering her gently to the ground. "The prince could still be inside…"

"What?" Kagome snapped, spinning around to face the fairy. "You mean we can't just kill the damn thing?"

"That's your answer to everything, isn't it…?" Hoshi asked with a sigh. "The prince has most likely been taken over by what is called a spirit. It's similar to a demon, but it doesn't have a true body and must steal bodies from others in order to survive and be able to reach its true potential…" Hoshi turned to watch as the frog climbed to his feet and scowled at her, "if we can remove the spirit, we can save the prince."

"Thanks for that…" Kagome grumped, also turning back to the frog prince. "Hey frog, any chance you'll leave if we ask nicely?"

"Ha, you lost all chances of defeating me when you entered my underwater palace!" He spat at them, turning to look at the wound on his shoulder. He then turned to the eggs that surrounded him. "My darlings," he called, throwing his head into the air, "heal me!"

At his demand the bodies inside the eggs began to change rapidly and within seconds only tadpoles remained. Then for only a handful of the eggs the shell began to melt away, leaving only the tadpole like creatures behind. They drifted into the air like kites and made their way slowly to the prince, whose mouth was open and waiting for them to fly in. Moments later Kagome and Hoshi were left in shock as they watched the shoulder wound heal completely.

The frog prince turned to them with a crooked grin on his face and patted his belly cheerfully, "my beautiful women…they are good to me…" he croaked, "don't you understand? You can't kill me as long as I have my girls to heal me!"

"That's it then!" Kagome said, snapping her fingers as the thought came to her, "if I can just keep injuring him until there aren't any tadpoles to heal him, then…"

"That's a horrible idea!" Hoshi snapped before the half demon could continue, "you could hurt the prince!"

"Oh yeah? What's your brilliant idea then?" The half demon barked back.

"I'll think of one..."

"I bet."

"Well, there is a way to drive the frog spirit from the prince's body." She said in a matter-of-fact tone, bringing one finger up to her chin and frowning. "But what was it…?"

"There is?" Kagome asked her expression incredulous. "Just when were you planning on telling me?"

"Well I forgot what it was…" Hoshi responded with a shrug of her shoulders, "If you're real quite I might remember…"

"Hoshi…"

"You two get distracted so easily…" The frog's voice startled both back into reality and they turned simultaneously to see the big beast grinning at them. "This will keep you out of my way, half demon…" He said as he opened his giant mouth, releasing a toxic smelling, darkly colored gas.

"Shit!" Kagome said, covering her mouth, but the gas had already reached her sensitive nose and she crumpled to her knees with a groan of protest. "Why…you…"

"Kagome!" Hoshi shouted, moving towards her companion, but she was stopped by the evil glint in the prince's eyes as he crept closer to her. "Uh…"

"You…you have my princess…"

"She'll be staying with us!" Hoshi said firmly, "as will all of the other women here…"

"You think so…?" The frog prince asked, still grinning. "You forget…they are all still under my spell…" his grin continued as he reached one webbed hand out towards the princess, who still rested in Hoshi's lap, "come with me…" he called to her.

At the sound of his voice the princess rose and turned to face her prince, completely ignoring Hoshi's attempts to keep her from going to him. Hoshi frowned as the princess easily broke free of her grasp and started making her way to the awaiting frog prince. _'I have no choice…'_ Hoshi thought, first raising her hands in front of her and then spreading them across the width of her chest.

At first, nothing happened, and the frog prince cackled at her inability to stop him, but his laughter was quickly silenced when he saw his princess stop abruptly, not five feet from him. "Princess…?" he called out gently, approaching the beautiful woman and reaching out the same webbed hand to touch her. His curious gaze soon turned into a furious glare in the fairy's direction when his hand came in contact with a solid wall. "What is this?" he snapped.

"It's an invisible barrier." Hoshi explained, "one of my powers, you will not be able to get to the princess, or any of the other girls until it has collapsed."

"NO!" The prince howled, banging webbed fists against the barrier's surface, "nothing will stop me from having my princess!"

"That won't work…" Hoshi warned him calmly, "you'll have to release the prince before I let down my barrier willingly." She came to her feet then and turned to Kagome, "Are you alright…?"

"Fine…" The half demon grumped, although blood was easily visible on her hands, nose and mouth from where the poison gas had worked its way in and burned the flesh there. "I'll be fine."

"You fools…" The frog prince cried, slamming himself against the barrier in one last attempt to get through. The barrier held firm. "You will pay for this…you will…with your lives!" He cried, lifting his arms above and flailing about for a moment in despair.

Kagome and Hoshi looked on, undaunted for a moment before the dome surrounding them began to shake violently. "What…?" Hoshi asked, "What on earth is happening?"

Suddenly the dome shattered and the two were left shocked at the force of the water as it crashed into them with bone breaking potential. Under the pressure of the water Hoshi's barrier cracked and then shattered completely. _'No!'_ Hoshi thought, watching as the women moved past the fallen barrier and towards the frog prince.

"My princess…my beautiful darlings…" The prince croaked and then, to their shock, Hoshi and Kagome watched as the prince opened his mouth and released a thick slime into the water that completely surrounded the women. The thick substance wrapped itself around every inch of the women's bodies and then expanded to forum an egg, similar to the cluster of eggs that still surrounded them.

"He, he, he…my beauties…" the prince cackled, turning then to glare at the two, "I told you didn't I? You won't be able to defeat me!"

Kagome and Hoshi only glared back. Now completely submerged in the water neither woman was able to breathe, much less speak, and they were running out of air quickly. _'I've got to do something…' _Kagome thought frantically, _'If we leave now we won't be able to return until the next night, and the princess will…' _

As a final attempt to put damage on the frog prince before swimming to safety, Kagome made a fist and with a grunt of effort pushed it forward through the water, aiming for the prince's bulging belly. A torpedo of bubbling water shot out from her hand and charged forward through the water leaving a trail of heat as it went.

'_That's it!'_ Hoshi thought as she watched the water collide with its target_, 'Kagome can't make fire underwater, but she can heat the water around us!' _

Upon feeling the warmth around him the frog began to panic. He let out a horrible cry of protest as he flailing in the water directly around him which, thanks to Kagome's powers, was only growing hotter. "No, NOOOO, MY BEAUTIES!" He cried in one final protest before he swam upwards to escape the boiling water that surrounded him.

Kagome jerked a finger in the direction of the water's surface and nodded once to the fairy, watching as she swam away in pursuit of the frog prince before turning to the layers of eggs in front of her._ 'I still have enough air to free the women…'_ she thought, swimming towards them.

…

"Kohaku…" Inuyasha called from where he stood guard at the edge of the pond, his eyes narrowed. "Get ready."

"Of course, Inuyasha-sama!" the younger man said, jumping to his feet and jogging to Inuyasha's side, but before he could reach the water's edge the water at the center of the pond began to boil. Kohaku only paused long enough to take a look, "Inuyasha-sama…the pond is…"

"Yeah."

Both men jumped as Nobunaga ran past them and into the shallow edge of the pond, unsheathing his own sword. "I will be the one to save Princess Tsuyu." He said bravely, "I will…"

His words were interrupted however when the frog prince rose from the water and ran for the shore as fast as his legs could carry his, scrambling for land and nearly falling over in his desperation to reach it. Upon making it to the shore line he fell to his knees. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I didn't have control…I didn't…" he sputtered.

"You're sorry?" Inuyasha snapped as he approached the beast, "so you've turned over a new leaf and you're not going to steal any more women? Ha, somehow I have trouble believing that…" he grouched, one hand moving towards the sword at his side.

"Inuyasha-sama, wait…" Kohaku protested, "I think he's telling the truth…"

"I…I did horrible things…" The frog prince continued, eyes wide as he looked up at the three men standing before him, "I'm sorry, please…before I lose control…destroy this body…"

Inuyasha hesitated for a moment before drawing his blade. "If that's the way you want it…"

"Inuyasha-sama!" Kohaku started again, "the prince is still!"

"Well if you have a better idea, let's hear it."

"Wait!" Nobunaga shouted, stepping in front of Inuyasha's giant blade bravely, "If you destroy the body of this monster that has possessed the prince will you not take his life as well?" His face grew dark, "I can't allow it!"

"Stop it!" Hoshi yelled as she came bursting out of the water, followed shortly by Kagome, the princess and a handful of other village women. "You can't kill him until we free the prince!"

"And just what brilliant idea have you come up with while you were swimming around down there, eh?" Inuyasha snapped even as he sheathed his sword and took a weary step back from the frog prince.

"Kagome can separate them." The fairy said in her matter-of-fact tone.

"I…what?" the half demon in question barked, still spitting up water even as she made her way to shore.

The women meanwhile, who had been returned to their normal state-of-mind, ran past her, lifting the bottoms of their kimonos as they made it out of the water safely. The princess followed behind the half demon obediently; worry creasing her brow as she took in the sight of her husband-turned-frog seated on the shore line.

The beast turned then to look over his shoulder at the approaching women and upon seeing his wife stepping on to the shore, his eyes narrowed and a dark look took over his face. "Princess…" He croaked, coming to his feet. "You will be mine…"

"No, prince, you mustn't—" Nobunaga started, but he was easily pushed back by the angry beast who also made quick work of the shocked Inuyasha and Kohaku, opening his mouth and forcing them back with another cloud of poison gas. He spun around then to face the women and scowled at them.

"Give me my princess!" He howled, charging towards them.

"Kagome!" Hoshi shouted, "You can extract the spirit using heat!"

"I can…" Kagome grinned as she turned back to the charging beast, "Ah, I get it." She said, stepping neatly in front of the princess.

"I'll kill you before you get the chance!" The frog prince cried, and opening his mouth once more he shot his long tongue out towards her. He was shocked however when, instead of dodging the attack like he'd expected the grinning half demon snatched his tongue up in one hand a held it tightly.

"Get ready you stupid frog." Kagome said. Her hand started to glow a soft blue then and the group watched as the beast began to flail wildly, trying to free his tongue from the half demon's grasp. Kagome used his tongue as a wick for her flame and within seconds the frog prince was engulfed in a giant ball of raging blue fire.

Then everything happened at once, the fire disappeared as quickly as it had come, the prince, returned to his human forum, fell to the ground unconscious and Inuyasha's blade easily tore through the frog spirit's transparent body as it attempted to escape. "Feh," Inuyasha spat as he sheathed Tetsusaiga, "That was a waste of time."

"The night isn't up yet, Inuyasha-sama." Kohaku pointed out with a smile, "Perhaps we can still enjoy a good night's rest inside the castle…"

The prince's voice brought all attention back to the royal couple, seated together on the ground and basking in each other's presence. "Princess," he whispered, gently brushing her cheek with the back of his hand, "I apologize if I worried you…"

"I never doubted you." Princess Tsuyu responded, turning then to face her childhood friend and offering him a brilliant smile. "Nobunaga…" she started, "thank you, for assisting in the rescue of my beloved husband."

"Uh…uh…of course princess…" Nobunaga sputtered. His face fell slightly at the sight of the two snuggled contently in each other's arms.

"Nobunaga really needs to get a backbone." Hoshi pointed out sadly, "I bet he's been in love with her since they met…"

"I…you…you could tell?" the man sputtered, turning on the fairy, "How?"

"You don't mean you were trying to hide it…?" Hoshi asked incredulously.

"Hoshi-san, I think he was…" Kohaku pointed out then with a frown.

The prince and princess were both oblivious to their conversation.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha had joined Kagome by the pond, watching in a strange fascination as a handful of tiny tadpoles darted quickly through the shallow water. "S…so…" Inuyasha started, "the women that had been changed into tadpoles by the frog spirit turned into real tadpoles…?"

"Yeah…" Kagome responded wearily, "I guess they'll stay here…"

"Yeah…"

"But…it's kind of weird…"

"Yeah…"

…

Hours later the group of four sat inside the castle's best room enjoying the last morsels of their dinner. Upon defeating the frog's spirit and returning the prince to himself the royal couple had been more than happy to provide them with a warm bath, fresh clothes, a full meal and a good night's rest inside their home.

"It's nice to not sleep outside, isn't it?" Kohaku said as he brought a well-made wooden bowl to his lips, tasting the warm soup inside with a smile. He was answered with the refreshed glow of his companions. The boy glanced over his shoulder to see Kagome, who had finished her meal earlier than the rest and sat in the women's designated sleeping area holding her scythe in front of her scrutinizing every inch of the weapons surface with a frown._ (AN: that's right, she still has it…lol)_

"Kagome-san, how is your weapon?" Kohaku asked, bringing up the question that they all wondered as they watched her. "You haven't used it…"

"It's weird," the half demon said. "At first when I tried to use it, it was as dull as a weapon made from wood, but then it grew stronger…I can't understand it…"

"It's the same as my Tetsusaiga." Inuyasha commented, attracting the group's full attention, "Tetsusaiga can only be used to protect, at any other time it is just a rusty old blade..."

He pulled the blade from its sheath to prove his point and just like he'd said, the blade appeared as a normal sword with rust and chips littering the surface. Inuyasha returned the weapon to its sheath. "That's why I carry a normal samurai sword and bow and arrow. I can't always rely on Tetsusaiga to transform."

Kagome watched him curiously for a moment before returning her gaze to her scythe. "I guess that's right…but how is a human able to use such a weapon anyway?" she asked as she looked back towards Inuyasha.

Inuyasha shrugged, "Otoosan would never tell me." He said, "Stupid old man likes to keep his secrets to himself."

"Your Otoosan…what's his name?" Hoshi asked, startling the swordsman.

Inuyasha responded after only a moment's hesitation, "His name is Takahashi…" he said, "What does it matter? You know him?"

Hoshi made a face at Kagome, who completely ignored her, before returning to her dinner. "It's nothing really, I was just curious." She answered with a grin, "the foods good, huh?"

…

The next day found the group of four spread out in a small, abandoned campground in the middle of the forest. They had left the castle before sunrise and were only taking their first real rest since their early departure, but they had covered a lot of land and…most of them seemed satisfied.

"We're still making up time that we've lost," Inuyasha barked, "there's still a full week worth of traveling left before we make it to the Western lands, and then there's still a handful of days to make it to Western Kingdom." He frowned when he was faced with two unimpressed looks from Kohaku and Hoshi. He scoffed. "At any rate, you should all expect to be picking up the pace in the next couple of days."

"We're already going at a pretty fast pace, Inuyasha-sama…" Kohaku pointed out, "when we're not stopping to destroy demons…"

"You shouldn't complain Kohaku." Hoshi said, "Years ago when Kagome's Kaasan was alive we would travel the distance it takes you humans to go in a few weeks in only a handful of days." She turned to the branches of a nearby tree then, grinning. "You remember, Kagome?"

Kagome wasn't paying attention to the conversation though. Her eyes and ears were trained on the foliage below her where an occasional rustle could be easily detected with her heightened hearing abilities. Still ignoring her companions, the half demon crawled into a crouch, balancing for a moment before she pounced.

"Kagome… are you even listening to me?" The fairy called.

"Yikes!" A tiny voice yelped from the bushes. Several branches rustled loudly as a red and blue blur shot through the campground, attempting to make a speedy get away. Kagome's target didn't make it far however before she held a young boy suspended several feet above the ground with one clawed hand wrapped in his furry vest.

"Little brat," she snapped, giving the child a shake. "What are you doing out here? Spying?"

"Help!" The boy cried instead of answering the half demon's question, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just let me down!"

"Kagome," Hoshi snapped as she flew up beside the angry demon, "let him down, he's just a boy!"

"Yeah!" The boy shouted in agreement but was silenced when he was landed with a frustrated look from Kagome, "help, help!"

Inuyasha and Kohaku meanwhile hadn't moved from their position and watched the boy's dilemma play out without much interest. "Hey kid," Inuyasha called to him after a moment. "What are you doing all the way out here? Shouldn't you be with your family…?"

The boy was dressed in a dark blue pair of hakama, a lighter colored haori with a simple pattern of green leaves and fur vest and he peered over at the two men with curious green eyes. He had a shaggy head of red hair that had been pulled back into a short pony tail with a blue ribbon and was very much human. "I'm hungry…" he admitted, his eyes traveling to the ground then, "I haven't eaten since Kaasan and Otoosan were killed…"

"Your parents are dead?" Hoshi asked, flying a bit closer and giving the boy a gentle pat on the head, "how long have you been out on your own? Where is the rest of your family? I'll share my food with you…Kagome, let him down already."

Kagome let out an unpleased grunt but let the boy down before wandering back to her previous perch above her companions. The red headed child ran eagerly towards the others, taking a seat near the flames and snatching up a fish that Hoshi offered him. It was gone within a handful of seconds and he quickly reached for another.

"He hasn't eaten in a while, huh?" Kohaku said as he watched the boy scarf down his second fish. "You never did tell us your name, did you?"

"Huh?" The youngster said, turning his attention back to the small party in front of him. He gave them a wiry grin, "I'm Shippou!"

"Shippou?" Hoshi asked, smiling at him, "That's cute." She hesitated for a moment then before asking the question that they all wanted answers to, "say Shippou-chan, what happened to your parents…and your home?"

Shippou hesitated for a moment as well and his face fell as unpleasant memories flashed behind his eyes. "It happened three nights ago," he started, "it was a real nice evening, and Kaasan said the sunset was one of the most beautiful that she'd ever seen…then Otoosan, he sensed something, and he told us to go and hide."

"He defended our home with all he had…but he…he…" tears of sorrow clouded the boys green eyes and he wiped at them furiously, "Okaasan went to protect him, but even she was…"

"Shippou-chan…" Hoshi said, resting a hand on the boy's arm. "I'm sorry…"

"Who were they?" Inuyasha asked, "The ones who attacked your family?"

"They called themselves the thunder brothers…" Shippou said, and his face grew dark, "And someday, when I'm older, when I'm strong enough…I'll…I'll…"

"That won't be for years though, right?" Inuyasha said, catching the boy's attention as he stood and brushed himself off. "Demon's like them are all the same…" he said, "they'll travel from place to place and keep killing if someone doesn't stop them…" he glanced back, "so where are they?"

To say the boy was shocked would have been a complete understatement. "You…you mean you'll help me avenge my family?" he asked.

"Of course!"

Shippou scrambled to his feet then and stood stiffly in front of the group. "I'll take you!" he said proudly, _'Kaasan…Otoosan…' _he thought,_ 'I've found someone strong enough…'_

…

As it turned out, Shippou had not strayed far from his home and it was only a short distance from their little camp. None of them, not even Kagome, who hadn't seemed to like the boy much to begin with, had been able to refuse the boy assistance in avenging his beloved parents. They were all left in a state of shock however when they came to the remains of Shippou's tiny village. It had most likely been a rather poor and unpopulated village to begin with, based on the small number of homes, which were hardly recognizable as homes at all. The whole area had been destroyed. No life remained, and not even the skeletons of those who had lived there before were left.

"This is…this is…" Kohaku started, "this is the worst destruction I've ever seen…"

"You haven't been working outside our village much, Kohaku." Inuyasha said, "But this…this is pretty bad…"

"Will you be able to find them?" Shippou asked, his face creased with worry, "the thunder brothers, I mean…they could be anywhere by now…" his face fell, and the group could see tears gathering in his eyes once more, "Otoosan…Kaasan…"

"We'll find them." Kagome called over her shoulder, attracting the group's attention. "They must have spent some time here, because their scent is still in the air," she said from where she sat crouched on the ground at the opposite end of the tiny village, where a handful of manmade ponds seemed to be the only structure that had survived the attack. "Looks like they headed west from here…"

"So then we'll be headed in the right direction," Kohaku pointed out, "if they keep going west, that is…"

"What are you waiting for then?" Inuyasha asked as she rest of the group made their way to Kagome's location, "let's get moving." Kagome didn't look terribly eager to follow the man's demand but stood anyway and started walking, giving the air a gentle sniff every now and again as they made their way away from the destruction.

…

"So…this is their next target…you're sure?"

"No."

"Kagome-san…" Kohaku said, face falling a bit.

"How can you expect me to find that out, huh?" The half demon asked, raising one eyebrow in the man's direction. "But if they're going in this direction…"

"We should alert the people anyway," Inuyasha said as he stood and headed down the path and towards the village. Kagome had managed to lose the thunder brother's scent when they had traveled by air, so the group had decided to follow the same path that the brothers had been traveling and hope for the best. The first village that they had arrived at however was densely populated, and none of the people there looked at all interested in the newcomers.

"All of you…" Inuyasha called as he entered the village, his arms raised as to draw more attention to himself, "I need to speak with the village leader on the belief that this place may be under attack in a short time…"

A handful of the children sent him a curious glance before returning to their mother's side, the rest completely ignored his warning.

"Hey…" Inuyasha growled, lowering his arms and turning back to his approaching companions with a bewildered look, "what's wrong with this place…?"

"You came to speak with me, did you?" An older man's voice caught Inuyasha's attention and he spun back around to face him. The man had blue eyes and a few pieces of white hair left upon his otherwise bald head. "What is this danger you speak of, boy?"

"Yes, well…" Inuyasha started, "I guess…we're not exactly sure, but there is a great possibility that you will be under attack by a pair of demon brothers in a short time. The village should be evacuated for their safety and we will stand by and watch…"

The older man gave Inuyasha, and then the rest of his group, an unimpressed look. "You expect me to evacuate my village on a mere hunch?"

Inuyasha shrugged.

"Go bother with some other people, boy, I have too much work to do, I can't be bothered moving my village for only a hunch." The man scoffed, and with that said he turned away.

"Wait, wait," Kagome said, sidling up beside Inuyasha. "You really should listen to him," she said, ignoring the skeptical looks of her companions and raising her hands into the air, "Because as it turns out I'm really the demon that's going to attack your village."

On her queue a spark, and then a flame appeared in either one of Kagome's palms and she began tossing the fire back and forth between her hands. The sight of the half demon tossing balls of fire back and forth caught the attention of the villagers like nothing else would, and the old man turned back to the group, his face dark with fear and anger. "I could start by burning up the houses if you like, or maybe the barn…I could do that instead…"

"You think I'll be fooled by such an act?" The leader scoffed, "get out of my village, all of you!"

"What?" Kagome asked, "Don't believe me?" Her eyes shifted to a nearby tree, and with only a glance the branches burst into flame. She turned back to the shocked villagers, "next is a house."

"S-she's serious!" One man cried, taking a few steps back in terror, "she'll burn the village to the ground!"

"That's right…" The half demon continued, eyes glowing a gentle blue as she watched the fire pass in between her hands.

"No, we will stand and fight!" The village leader snapped, "We can't let her get away with this!"

"We can't fight fire, we'll be killed!" Another cried, "We have to leave the village!" He called over his shoulder as he turned to run back towards the houses, waving his arms to the curious bystanders. "Run, save yourselves! A demon, there's a demon!"

"That damn coward…" the old man growled, turning back to Kagome with a scowl. "You will burn in hell for your actions!" He snapped, even as he ushered a handful of villagers that had gathered close away and disappeared into the village to prepare his people, and himself, for evacuation.

"I probably will…" Kagome said, the fire still crawling over her hands and arms, but not burning her flesh. "How was that?" she asked then, turning to Inuyasha who scowled back at her.

"That was completely unnecessary." Inuyasha grouched at the woman.

"Was it?" Kagome asked, "they didn't seem to be going anywhere by gentle persuasion…"

"Feh."

"At any rate…" Hoshi said as she drifted up beside the two, "the villagers are leaving. Good work Kagome."

"Don't praise her!" Inuyasha snapped.

"Inuyasha-sama," Kohaku called from behind the group, once he caught their attention he pointed to the sky, where it had only in the last few minutes grown darker. "Do you suppose that's…?"

"It's them!" Shippou squealed, clinging to the younger man's legs, "Duck for cover, run away! Their lightning will kill you for sure!"

"You should hide Shippou…" Inuyasha said as he came to stand beside Kohaku, eyes locked on the dark skies above them. He turned to glance over his shoulder then, "Hoshi, take him with you and stay with the villagers. You can be ready to protect them if the brothers get past us."

"Of course!" The fairy said, one hand coming to her forehead in a mock salute. She then lowered herself to the ground and grew into her more human form. "Shippou-chan, come here," she called to the young boy, opening her arms for him. He leapt into her embrace eagerly and the two watched for a moment as Kagome, Inuyasha and Kohaku prepared themselves for a fight.

"Be safe…" the fairy said, pulling the boy a bit closer to her chest and turning to run after the retreating villagers.

…

_AN: _

_Phew, it's DONE!_

_The next chapter should be interesting, yeah? Inuyasha may not have gotten much butt-kicking time in this chapter but he will in chapter 8, so look forward to that! Oh, and don't worry, they'll get to the Western lands eventually! _

_Chapter 8 (orphan): Inuyasha, Kohaku and Kagome take on the thunder brothers while Hoshi keeps Shippou company at a safe distance. But when they get back and the sun sets, there's a surprise waiting for them! _


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey, that was quick, right? This chapter was pretty easy to write…hopefully the next one will be too. Enjoy, and don't forget, reviews are a good motivator! (hint, hint) _

**Chapter 8: Orphan**

Kagome, Kohaku and Inuyasha watched as the clouds rolled in. The sky had been clear with only the occasional, white, fluffy cloud drifting by earlier that afternoon, but now it had turned black and the lighting performed a dangerous dance above their heads while the thunder roared.

"Their spirit level is huge," Inuyasha said, unsheathing his sword and brandishing it in front of himself and his companions as he took the first step forward. "Both of you prepare yourselves; they're going to be hard to take..."

"Stupid, I already know that," Kagome snapped, stepping up beside him, "and don't stand in front of me like I need protection. If anyone will need protecting it'll be you."

"I wouldn't waste my time protecting you," Inuyasha snapped right back at her, "and I'd be damned if I was ever so weak as to need help from you!"

"Your banter is quite amusing…"

Kagome and Inuyasha were both dragged back to reality at the sight of their first foe moving in from the clouds. He was a tall and lanky man with red eyes and long black hair that had been pulled back into a braid. He was clad in heavy armor and well-made robes and carried with him a long spear that's blade was in the shape of a bolt of lightning. Perhaps the most noticeable thing about him however was that a pair of small wheels, one beside each foot, seemed to be keeping him afloat in the air using some sort of magic.

He stared down at them with cold eyes, then turned to call over his shoulder, "brother, it looks as if we have a little challenge on our hands tonight."

"Oh, how fun," another voice called, and then the second of the two brothers rode in seated atop a fluffy black cloud that looked as if it had been plucked from the sky above them. The trio balked at his appearance. While his brother was a tall, thin and handsome looking man, this man (if he could be called a man at all) was heavy set, mostly bald and had a creamy, pale complexion and the face of a whale.

"I am Hiten." The more human-like of the two brothers said, and then he jerked his head over his shoulder, "this is my brother Manten. Do you wish to challenge us?"

"Are you the two that call yourselves the thunder brothers?" Inuyasha called, ignoring the man's formal introduction. "Your ravenous attacks in the villages surrounding these parts will end today!"

"You think so do you?" Hiten said with a frightening smile, "we'll see who is the victor in this battle. I have been challenged by many, but never defeated." He turned to his younger brother then, "Manten, would you care to attack first?"

"Of course Oniisama," he said and bent over his cloud to stare down at his opponents with his beady black eyes. "He, he, he, you will fail…take this!" he called down to them, and he opening his giant mouth to release a huge blast of contained lighting onto the group below.

"Watch it!" Inuyasha called to his comrades as they scattered to escape the thunder demon's attack. Seconds later the three found themselves looking back at a crispy crater that had been left from Manten's attack. Three sets of shocked eyes turned to look up at the giggling demon.

"He, he…Oniisama, how was that?"

"Perfect." Hiten replied with that same sickening grin, "now it's my turn!" he cried. Without any warning, the older of the two demons dove down towards the trio, positioning his spear out in front of him in preparation for an attack. Inuyasha made it to his feet and met Hiten half way with his massive blade, Tetsusaiga, held in front of him.

"Impressive." Hiten said, and he leapt back into the air only to come down on Inuyasha again and again with his lightning shaped spear growing closer and closer to Inuyasha's face with every one of his powerful thrusts. "But how long can you hold up against the strength of a demon?"

"Long enough!" Inuyasha snapped with fury, and he met each one of Hiten's attacks with a little more venom.

"He, he…Oniisama, let me help you…" Manten called from his perch above the battlefield. He opened his mouth wide and prepared to release another powerful lightning attack, but was shocked to feel a clawed finger rake across the back of his neck and turned to see Kagome standing perched on the cloud directly behind him, snarling at him angrily.

"If you want someone to fight all you have to do is ask." The half demon snarled, and then lunged forward to knock the heavy beast from his seat. The two fell together, tangled and both snapping and clawing at each other all the way to the unforgiving ground below them.

"Kagome-san!" Kohaku shouted for his friend as a huge cloud of dirt rose up around them following the pair's rough landing.

Inuyasha, Kohaku and even the demon, Hiten paused in their battle to watch as the dust settled and revealed Manten, alive and well but lying on his stomach and looking rather uncomfortable. After a moment the younger brother made it to his feet, revealing the disgruntled and, although a little crumpled, otherwise unharmed half demon below him.

"Get off of me you disgusting piece of meat!" Kagome snapped at him, giving him one final shove as she too made it to her feet and brushed herself on, "I'll kill you for that…"

"I will be the one to kill you," Manten warned her, moving closer and opening his mouth for an attempted, short-range attack. The half demon surprised him again however when she easily leapt up and out of harm's way before landing a well-aimed kick onto his head on her way back to the ground. The thunder demon groaned as his mouth was forced shut and his explosive attack erupted inside him.

"You…you…" Manten moaned as he turned to scowl at Kagome, now standing behind him.

"What?" the half demon teased, "didn't hurt yourself did you?" And with that said she took off in the opposite direction of her companions, turning once to call to them over her shoulder, "I'll be more than enough for the younger brother, you two just make sure you don't get yourselves killed before I get back!"

Manten meanwhile let out a furious howl that echoed through the surrounding houses and took off after her.

"Feh," Inuyasha said, returning his gaze to the older of the two brothers. "Looks like your little brother has his hands full…"

"Manten is plenty demon enough to take care of your HALF BREED," Hiten ground out, "you two human's should worry for your own lives," he said. He then pointed his weapon towards the ground in between them, creating a blast of lighting that shook the ground underneath their feet and threw both men onto their backs.

The two of them recovered just in time to see the thunder demon once again diving down towards them, his spear pulled back and ready to strike. "Prepare for fight for your own lives!" he howled, his sickening laugh echoing through the air around them as lightning flashed through the sky.

…

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Shippou-chan…" Hoshi said, "They're a pretty good team, even if they don't like to admit it." She said as she listened to battle rage on from a safe distance. Hoshi and Shippou sat separately from the villagers, who still did not seem to appreciate the group's bravery in defending them from the thunder demon brothers, just past a small drop-off in the land.

'_I wish I could see how they're doing though…' _she thought, peeking up over the land to where she could see the village houses in the distance. 

When she didn't receive a response from her young companion Hoshi turned to glance back towards him and frowned when she found him holding himself tightly as he stared down at the ground with wide, tearful eyes and shook. "Shippou-chan?" she asked, reaching out a hand towards him, "is everything alright…?"

"I'm sorry," the boy said, cringing as Hoshi crawled closer to him. "I'm sorry, I should have told you…"

Hoshi seemed undaunted by the child's obvious fear. "It's nothing to be worried about, Shippou-chan," the fairy explained reassuringly, "what is it that you want to say…?"

The boy slowly peeked up at her. "Do you…do you promise you won't be mad?" he asked skeptically, "Otoosan said that others would get mad if they saw me...after the sun sets…"

"Why would the sun setting have anything to do with…" Hoshi's words were cut off however when the boy in front of her let out a high pitched yelp. She glanced up at the darkening sky, and then returned her gaze to Shippou. Her eyes grew wide as the pieces started to fall into order right in front of her eyes. "Shippou-chan, are you…?"

…

Not far from the village houses Kagome pulled to a stop amongst a handful of heavy stone markers. The graveyard was secluded from the village in a space where the trees and brush had been completely pulled back to provide space for the departed souls_. 'Must be all the village people that have died here…' _Kagome thought, approaching one of the stones and resting her hand on it as she bent down to read the inscriptions, _'and the children…'_ she thought sadly as she took note of the dates_, 'Shippou would have been in a place like this too if he hadn't been so lucky…' _

"Come out little half breed…" Manten's voice called, and Kagome turned only long enough to catch a glance of his silhouette creeping into the clearing before darting out of sight. With her speed Kagome had easily been able to get a good distance away from him and out of sight, leaving her a few minutes to plan her next move while the younger brother caught up. She easily slipped around behind one of many gravestones and burrowed down into the unfilled hole, leaning her back against the stone behind her.

"Come out, come out wherever you are…he, he, he…half breed…when I find you you'll wish you'd never challenged the thunder brother, Manten…" he said, and Kagome peeked around the stone to watch as he made his way into the yard, his beady black eyes searching for the half demon's forum.

'_Stupid…as if I'd come out after he says something like that…'_ Kagome thought with a roll of her eyes.

Manten stomped one foot down in frustration when his short search failed to reveal the half demon to him. "Where did you go?" he howled, "I'll destroy every inch of this place until I find you!" he continued, and with his mouth gaping he released another one of his explosive, lightening attacks.

'_He has quite a temper…'_ Kagome thought as she ducked down a little deeper in her hiding spot, _'stupid bastard is going to destroy this place if I don't do something soon…' _

Several more explosions followed the first and Kagome cringed as one landed particularly close to her hiding place. Silence enveloped the yard then and after only a moment of hesitance, she poked her head above ground once more to search for the younger brother. All that remained standing from the explosions were a handful of heavy stone markers. Some of the surrounding trees and grass had been charred and fire still rolled gently through the yard, threating to start something even more dangerous than the thunder demon it had been started by.

'Shit…did he go back, or…?' Kagome thought as her eyes searched the grounds for the demon. She was startled then by Manten's familiar giggle behind her, and she spun around to face him with a snarl.

He grinning down at her and opened his mouth to reveal the glow of another one of his lightning attacks, ready to fire. "I found you…" He giggled with glee, "how perfect, I won't even have to find a place for your body…"

"As if I'd be killed that easily!" Kagome barked at him as she leapt away from his attack, managing to escape unscathed even as the gravestone behind her was blown to pieces. She paused a good distance away, standing amongst the burning trees at the edge of the yard.

'_I can use this…'_ she thought and turned back to the still giggling brother as he approached her.

"There's no escaping me," Manten called to her, "I will destroy you with my lightning, why not just come here and surrender?"

"Like hell I would," Kagome called back, but approached him despite her words. Her hands dropped to her sides and with her fingers spread wide on either side, she raked them through the air as she walked. "You've had your fun, you sick bastard," she called out to him, "now it's my turn."

Tiny flames danced through the grass behind her as she moved and a crooked grin crawled across the half demon's face as she caught the surprised look on her foe's face. Manten had frozen before her, and with wide eyes, he turned to watch as the fire blazed a circle around the two of them, leaving the younger brother trapped within the burning walls. The firewall only grew taller and taller as Manten watched.

"I'll…I'll destroy you with my lightning!" Manten yelled, and his mouth opened wide once more to reveal the lightning inside.

"I was waiting for that," Kagome said, and suddenly her smile was gone. She lifted one hand, and from her palm shot a burst of flame directed towards Manten, and more particularly, his gaping mouth.

The demon cried out in pain and flailed about as his insides were burned, and upon contact of the fire and lightning an explosion blew in between his lips. His face was left charred and his mouth bloody, but Kagome wasn't finished until the walls of fire that had surrounded the two closed in on him, creating a burning tornado.

…

Not far from where Kagome was battling Manten, Inuyasha was locked in a fierce battle with the older of the two thunder demons. Hiten's attacks were ruthless and with every clash of their weapons, Inuyasha's body grew weaker. The thunder demon used the momentum of each dive to put more strain on Inuyasha's body, until finally all the man could do was stand and defend himself against each attack.

'_Inuyasha-sama hasn't been able to land a single blow,' _Kohaku thought as he watched the battle play out before him, _'By the time he recovers from one attack Hiten is on his way back down for another…he's too fast…' _

'_Maybe…' _he thought,_ 'maybe if I could get him down on the ground…those spinning wheels are what's keeping him up, I'm sure of that.' _

Kohaku ducked quickly behind one of the houses, peeking out from the side to make sure he wasn't noticed before continuing around to the other side. Hiten was far too busy attacking Inuyasha to even notice the younger man, and so Kohaku continued, jogging down the little alley way behind the village homes until he stood behind Hiten.

Hiten only continued with his relentless attacks, ignorant to the dangers behind him. Kohaku slipped his massive chain sickle from his shoulders and rested the point of the sickle on the ground before him, gathering the chain in his hands and waiting for the opportune moment. He almost revealed his hiding place however, as he saw his companion tumble to the ground, and had to slap a firm hand over his own mouth to stay quiet.

"Damn it…" Inuyasha moaned as he sat up, turning his gaze upwards to where Hiten hovered in the air, finally remaining stationary for more than a handful of seconds.

"You humans aren't any fun at all." The thunder demon called down to him, "Don't you have any more strength then that? Perhaps my little brother is having more fun with your half demon, friend…I'll go help him…once I'm finished with you…"

With that said, the demon dove down for another attack, the sharp point of his lightning spear pointed dangerously at Inuyasha's chest as he flew. He was stopped short just in time to let the human man scurry out of the way, and turned with a frustrated growl to face the second of his two foes.

"I forgot about you…" he growled out, bending down to look at the weighted end of the chain which had wrapped itself securely around his left ankle. "You don't seriously think you can stop me so easily now, do you?"

"I can!" Kohaku cried out, now spinning the opposite end of his massive weapon and sending it flying. _'I've stopped his movement, now I can destroy those wheels…' _he thought, and his face broke into a triumphant grin as his weapon hit it's mark and shattered one wooden wheel on the demon's left ankle.

Without the second of the two wheels Hiten found himself floundering in midair, grouping for something to keep him afloat, but nothing was there and he retreated to the ground. He scowled at Kohaku as the boy moved to attack again with his weapon, but Hiten caught it midflight and after tugging the chain from his own ankle, sent it flying back towards its owner.

"Do you think I'm to be defeated so easily?" Hiten snapped at the boy, watching in satisfaction as he scuttled out of the way of his own weapon's destructive path. "You're both fools…"

"Good work, Kohaku!" Inuyasha called from behind the demon, who turned, surprised just in time to see the swordsman bring his massive blade down on him at close range. "Kaze no Kizu!" he cried, and powerful wind clawed into the earth around them.

Hiten only barely managed to escape the attack without being completely ripped open from Inuyasha's powerful blade. He was however left without his right hand, and the cloth and armor that had covered his chest had been destroyed, leaving the flesh there bare and unprotected. "How dare you…" Hiten snarled, raising his spear in his one remaining hand, "now you will taste my most powerful lightning attack!"

Kohaku reached Inuyasha's side just in time to watch as the powerful thunder demon rose his spear into the air above them. The clouds roared in response and a single bolt of lightning came tearing through the clouds and down to the earth.

"Get behind me, Kohaku!" Inuyasha called, and plunged the point of his blade into the hard ground in front of them. Tetsusaiga let out a mighty hiss as the lightning attack hit the barrier that it had erected and the two human men ducked down behind the sword, even as the attack faded.

Kohaku glanced up just in time to see Hiten charging towards them with fury written clearly across his face and let out a yelp of alarm as he grouped for his weapon. There was no need though, and both men watched in shock as the demon pulled to a stop directly in front of them, his red eyes huge as he stared off into the distance.

…

Kagome meanwhile watched as her opponent howled is dismay and danced around the grave yard, his short and stubby arms reaching up behind his head but failing to reach the tiny braid that hung there, which was currently aflame. His whole body had been crisped from Kagome's attack, but despite his injuries he was still able to move quite quickly when given the right motivation.

"My hair, not my hair, it's all that I have left!" He cried.

'_That should be the least of his worries…'_ Kagome thought as she watched him, _'how pathetic.'_ She continued watching even as the thunder beast fell to the ground, rolling about wildly.

Finally the flame was extinguished and Manten crawled to his feet. He had managed to save the prized scrap of hair, although it was frazzled, and an inch or so shorter than it had been before. "How dare you…" he moaned out, "how dare you try to burn my hair…it's all I have…"

"I wasn't planning to burn your hair off," the half demon told him, a sour look crawling across her face. "I did mean to kill you with that attack though. Your skin is thicker than I thought…"

"You…you…" Manten moaned, grouping for the right words, "I will destroy you!" he finally cried, lifting his head upwards to face the dark sky above them. "I will destroy you!" he cried a second time, turning back towards his foe and opening his mouth again, the glow of his lightning attack appearing from deep within his throat.

"We'll see who destroys who," Kagome said, crouching down and brushing the grass gently with her fingers. Fire began to flicker gently in between her fingers as she did, but something stopped her.

'_What?'_ she thought, turning to look down at her scythe, _'did it just…?'_

The weapon pulsed a second time and Kagome's eyes grew wide as the blade took on a glow of such a soft blue that it was almost white. She reached out to brush a single finger across the blade but jerked her hand back quickly. 'it's hot…' she thought, and curiosity won over her skepticism as she reached out again, this time to close her hand over the scythe's staff.

The staff was much colder than the weapon's blade, but the weapon's pulse continued to hum below her hand even as she lifted it up off the ground. Kagome reached her other hand up to press it against her chest, shocked to find that the weapon's steady pulse matched her heartbeat. "I see now," she whispered, and stood to face Manten once more.

"So the weapon really does bond with its wielder, huh?" she grinned, and easily dodged the thunder demon's next lightning attack. "Let's see what this thing can do!"

Manten attacked again, and this time Kagome stood bravely as the lightning tore through the earth on its way towards her. As the attack approached her she brought her weapon across in a horizontal arc and with a thunderous rumble the attack dissipated into the air, leaving nothing in between the two demons.

Kagome's grin widened a bit, "it's about time this thing proved its worth," she said. Then, with a burst of speed she shot forward towards the shocked thunder beast, lifting the scythe above her head and bringing the still white hot blade down on his neck.

…

"Manten…my brother…" Hiten croaked, taking a few shaky steps forward, his gaze still glued to something in the distance.

Inuyasha and Kohaku exchanged worried looks as they too stared off into the distance. "Inuyasha-sama," Kohaku started, "Do you suppose Kagome-san had…"

"Yeah…probably…" Inuyasha responded, but anything he may have said after that was cut off as Hiten released a very inhuman howl that sounded somewhat like his younger brother's name and disappeared into the distance.

Inuyasha and Kohaku watched him disappear with matching, shocked expressions. Inuyasha was the first to recover and stood, pulling the younger man to his feet along with him. "We need to go." He said, "Now."

…

"He was tougher then he looked, I'll give him that…" Kagome said to herself, and gave a mighty grunt as she pushed Manten's limp body backwards and ripped her weapon from his neck. The scythe had easily torn through his neck and down his chest, nearly cutting his upper body right in half.

"I guess it's not so useless after all," she said, watching as the white hot coating of the blade faded back to its natural silver color. She didn't have long to admire the scythe though. She stiffened as she caught Hiten's scent in the air and heard him tearing through the woods towards her.

'_Shit, did he…did he defeat the others?'_ she thought, turning just in time to see the razor sharp point of Hiten's spear as it tore into her flesh, cutting into her right shoulder and digging deep. She released a pained scream as she crumpled to her knees, the lightning released from the thunder demon's weapon rolling painfully through her body.

"MURDERER!" Hiten cried from above her, and listened to her painful moans in satisfaction before ripping the weapon from her shoulder. "You will die for your actions…" he snarled, and raised his weapon once more.

"Kagome move!"

Kagome snapped to attention at the familiar sound of Inuyasha's voice, and turned to find both men standing at the edge of the graveyard. _'They're alive…'_ she thought, relief flooding through her.

"I said get out of there, damn it!" Inuyasha howled at her and Kagome jerked to her feet and ran to safety, barely missing Hiten's weapon as it came down a second time.

"You think you'll get away from me so easily, half breed?" Hiten called and spun around to chase after her. As he turned however he nearly got ripped apart by the force of Inuyasha's blade and quickly retreated from his chase. Even as the smoke cleared the older brother didn't follow after the half demon, and instead moved to his brother's side.

Tears stained his cheeks as he approached his sibling's body, which had been further torn apart from Inuyasha's attack. "Manten…" he cried, falling to his knees in front of his brother's body, "oh Manten, what have I done, I could have protected you…but, I…"

A safe distance away Kagome sat with her companions, watching the thunder demon cautiously. "You two aren't hurt…?" she asked.

"We're fine Kagome-san, but…your shoulder, how is it?" Kohaku replied.

"It's fine." She said quickly and turned back to watch as Hiten tore a piece of flesh from Manten's body. She cringed. "He's going to absorb Manten's powers if we don't do something…"

"I'll take care of it." Inuyasha said, stepping forward and once more unleashing his sword. The yard before them disappeared behind clouds of dust and heavy wind that had been released from Tetsusaiga's attack, so none had time to react when Hiten tore through their hiding place, his lightning attacks further tearing up the ground and scattering the group.

"You will all pay for what you've done to my dear brother," he cried as he spun to face them once more, "you will pay with your lives!" He opened his mouth wide, and just like his younger sibling had done earlier, released a horribly powerful blast of contained lightning on the group.

"Get down, both of you!" Kagome snapped to her companions, raising her hands up and creating an enormous fireball in front of them, which she threw towards Hiten.

All three ducked down behind what little cover was still available as the two attacks collided and an explosion erupted around them. One by one the trio poked their heads up to survey the damage. What they found was the older thunder brother standing unharmed in front of them. The fire that had earlier danced harmlessly through the graveyard was nothing compared to the flames that raged about now.

Hiten scowled down at the three of them as they each made it to their feet. Kagome was the first to stand and so jogged ahead of her companions to make her first more, a snarl rising from her throat. "I'll burn you to a crisp." She snapped, "Just like I did with your brother…"

Hiten released a howl of frustration at her words and lunged towards her, weapon ready, but as he closed in on her Inuyasha slipped in between the two and lifted his sword to meet with Hiten's spear.

"I told you, I don't need you to protect me!" Kagome snapped at him, even as Hiten came crashing into them a second time, repeating his relentless attacks from earlier, although he was no longer air born.

"Get out of my way!" Inuyasha snapped back to her, "This is my fight!"

"Is not!" Kagome countered, even as she ducked out of the way to avoid one of the thunder demon's furious attacks.

Hiten only laughed at the banter between his two opponents, "there's no need to fight amongst yourselves, you with both die by my hand, although it is quite amusing," he said. He leapt forward for another strike, and this time he released a new wave of his lightning, making the trio cringe and duck away as the lightning danced within such close proximity.

"One bolt of my lightning will be plenty to kill a human like yourself!" Hiten cried, shoving Inuyasha back until he could go no further, "are you ready to die? You will be the first!"

Inuyasha cringed as the lightning surrounded him, only mere inches away from his skin. With his back against a sturdy tree and both hands supporting him blade he had no escape. _'Shit, if only I could…'_ his eyes landed on Kohaku and Kagome then, who both stood just behind the thunder demon and out of his sight. He gave them a nod._ 'Hiten's weakness…is only paying attention to one of his opponents…'_

Kohaku threw his sickle forwards and watched as it wrapped itself snuggly around Hiten's lightning spear, giving it a sharp tug as it did so. It didn't harm the demon, only threw him off balance, and gave Inuyasha a chance to escape as Hiten turned his attention to the other two.

"Don't forget about us." Kohaku warned him, holding tightly to the chain as Hiten tried to retrieve his weapon from the mass of chains. "Kagome-san…now's your chance…"

"Ha, you get distracted so easily it's almost not worth it!" Kagome shouted from above, grinning down at the surprised thunder demon as she brought her scythe down upon his neck, just as she had done with Manten.

"You think…you'll…" Hiten cried, one hand closing over the deep wound beside his neck, "I already told you, fools!" he cried, "You will not kill me!"

"Get ready Inuyasha!" Kagome called, ignoring the demon as he spouted threats and promises about the trio's death. She snatched up Kohaku by the back of his haori and leapt up and over top of Hiten, landing and turning back towards Hiten with a grin, "time to say goodbye!"

As he turned, Hiten found himself faced with the scowling swordsman. "It's about time we finished you off, bastard!" Inuyasha snarled at him, and brought his blade down on him one final time, "Kaze no Kizu!"

…

The trio, wounded and battle weary, watched as the villagers filed back into their homes, or at least, what was left of them. There weren't any words of thanks spoken from any man, woman or child as they disappeared and the group was left feeling more than a bit frustrated with the lack of appreciation from them.

"Everyone here is so unfriendly," Kohaku pointed out, "even the children…have you seen anything like it in your journey's, Inuyasha-sama?"

"Of course, it happens all the time," the older man told him. "At any rate, we need to find a place to leave Shippou before we get back on the trail. Preferably tonight, we've lost too much time already…"

"You're so repetitive." Kagome grouched, "Isn't there anything else you can talk about?"

"It's important!" Inuyasha snapped at her, tugging his map from his saddle and looking it over. "We can still make it to our next break point before it's too dark to see, but only if we hurry." He turned then to face Hoshi as she stepped up over the drop off, looking a bit distracted. "Hoshi, where's Shippou? We need to leave."

_(AN: so…yeah, the horses are still there…in case you were wondering…)_

"Uh, about that…" Hoshi said, glancing back over the drop off before returning her gaze to her three weary traveling companions. "There's something you should know…about Shippou-chan, I mean…"

"He's not hurt, is he?" Kohaku asked.

"I don't smell any blood…" Kagome commented, taking a gentle sniff, but then she paused, and a rather unsettling look crossed her face before she rushed to the edge of the drop off and looked over. She stared for a moment, her face unreadable, before turning back with a huff.

"What in the hell was that about?" Inuyasha asked the retreating half demon, but she didn't answer. Now it was his turn to approach the drop off and look over. He was shocked to say the very least. "You…you…"

"He's a half demon." Hoshi said, watching as Kohaku wandered over next to take a look at the boy. "He's unlike most though in that he turns human during the day, and becomes a full demon at night."

The boy looked up at them from below, his face contorted in fear and his eyes red and puffy from crying. He still had the same fiery red hair and bright green eyes as before, but now his ears had pointed, dangerously sharp claws sat at the end of each finger and his canine teeth had grown to nearly three times their normal length. On top of that, a long, red tail of a fox lay out beside him, and his feet had morphed into the paws of a fox.

"So…is he…?" Kohaku asked.

"He's a kitsune," Hoshi said, "Or rather, half kitsune, half human…"

"Feh!" Inuyasha scoffed, "it doesn't matter what he is, we still can't take him along with us. We'll see if the village tonight will take him…" he said, jabbing a finger into his map.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kagome barked, wheeling around to face him. "We can't leave him in a human village, he'll be killed!"

"He IS human during the day…" Inuyasha pointed out, brushing off his sudden surprise from Kagome's outburst. "Anyway, I'm sure he'll be fine if…"

"If what?" Kagome cut him off, "if we explain? Right, that'll work…"

"Well what's your bright idea then? I'd love to hear it!"

Kagome hesitated as she glanced up at the now frustrated swordsman. "We have no choice." She said, "We'll have to take him with us…"

"We can't take him with us!" Inuyasha yelled, "He's a child, he'll be killed on the battle field!"

"He's a half demon," Kagome yelled back, "and he'll be killed ten times faster if we drop him in the first village we come to!"

"Both of you stop yelling!" Hoshi called, drawing her companions attention long enough to see the pained look on the fairy's face. "Shippou's gone," she said, "he's run off…we have to find him…"

…

"Otoosan…" Shippou whimpered as he ran, "Kaasan…why did you have to leave me? It's so hard without you…"

He cried out and landed flat on his face as his foot caught on a root._ 'Hoshi and the others…' _he thought, tears and mud mixing on his cheeks as he lifted his head, _'I wish I could have stayed with them, but…but they were so mad when they found out my secret…is that why Otoosan and Kaasan told me never to show anyone?'_

He pulled himself to his feet and continued, not bothering to wipe his face. He hesitated though when he came to the edge of a tiny village. It was pitch black outside, but a few tiny lamps were still lit, and he could see a handful of village men talking in hushed tones, their faces illuminated by the fire's light. _'Is this the place that Inuyasha was talking about?'_ he thought, _'it looks nice enough…maybe…maybe they'll let me stay…' _

The young kitsune tugged one crumpled leaf from his vest and sat it atop his head, disappearing for only a moment behind a cloud of smoke before reappearing as a human boy. A determined look upon his face, he wandered into the village and towards the men.

…

"I'm sure he'll be alright on his own for a little while, but…" Hoshi's words drifted off as they approached a river. It wasn't deep, but it was fast, and looked dangerous for any small child, demon or otherwise, to cross if they were alone.

"His scent stops here." Kagome said, standing up and glancing back and forth across the river. "If he travelled this way then we'll never find him…"

The group had been tracking Shippou for about an hour now, and the sky had long ago grown dark enough that the humans could only rely on Hoshi's ability to light the surrounding area with her magic to see where they were going.

"We can pick back up in the morning then." Inuyasha said, "Otherwise we're just looking for a needle in a haystack. For all we know he could have made it to the village already…"

"That's what I'm afraid of," Kagome grumbled, turning to the river one last time with a frown. _'But he's right, even if I don't want to admit it. It's no use searching for him if I don't have a scent to follow…'_ she thought, and reluctantly turned to follow her companions off the path and towards the next village.

…

"Uh…umm…" Shippou started as he approached the men, "he-hello…"

One of the three men turned towards him, one eyebrow raised at the sight of the little red headed boy wandering about, alone and in the dark. "What's your name, boy?" he asked, "why aren't you with your family?"

Shippou shivered as the memories of his family's death plagued him once more, "they're…they died…"

"Poor boy…he's so young…"

"He's all alone…"

"Poor thing…"

The hushed whispers of the men made him cringe, and his hands tugged nervously as his sleeves. _'I don't want to remember anymore,'_ he thought, _'I saw everything…I don't want to remember that anymore, but everyone keeps reminding me…' _

Tears stained his face and he whipped at them furiously with one hand, turning away from the village men so they couldn't see him cry. _'Kaasan…Otoosan…why…'_

"Boy, you didn't tell us your name…" the same man who had addressed him earlier spoke up again. "If you don't have anyone else traveling with you, you're welcome to stay at our village as long as you like. One of our women just lost her son, he was about your age…perhaps she'll take care of you."

"Really?" Shippou asked, momentarily forgetting his worries as he spun around to face them, "I…my name is Shippou."

"Shippou," the man gave him a nod of approval, "welcome to my village, I am Sato, Yoshi, the leader here." He said, "I will show you to a room in our inn where you can spend the night."

…

Not far behind Shippou, Inuyasha, Kagome, Kohaku and Hoshi entered the same village. They were exhausted, not only from their battle with the thunder brothers earlier, but now from tracking the half demon child for hours before giving up their search. All they could do now was hope that he had found a safe place to spend the night, and start looking again in the morning.

"You are…" one man started as he approached them, "are you looking for a place to spend the night?" he asked. "You're out awfully late."

"Right, we just returned from a battle," Inuyasha informed him. "I am Takahashi, Inuyasha, and my group and I are on the journey to the four kingdoms to ask for protection of the Shikon no Tama. We should have a spot reserved in your inn…"

"Yes, yes, I received word from Myoga that you would be on your way soon," the village man said, although he gazed skeptically at the half demon standing just behind Inuyasha. "And you bring a demon along with you for protection, I assume? As long as you have control of her, she may stay."

Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder at his half demon companion, who returned his look with a scowl, before returning his gaze to the man in front of him. "She's fine," He reassured the man.

The man didn't look convinced, but turned to lead the group into their village despite himself. "I am Sato, Yoshi, the leader of this village." He said, "it's funny you should show up now, you've only just missed our newest arrival. A little boy came here looking for shelter, he'll be staying for a while I think…"

"Wait, Yoshi-san…" Hoshi said, easily slipping in front of him and earning a curious look from the man, "what did this boy look like?" she asked, "Did he tell you his name? Is it Shippou-chan?"

"Yes, that is the name he gave us," Sato said, his curiously turning into confusion, "you know him? He said he was alone…"

The group hesitated before answering. It would be a difficult thing to explain how they met and got separated without revealing the boy as a half demon and, based on the man's behavior towards Kagome when she entered the village, they could only assume that Shippou had somehow managed to appear as a human to the villagers when he entered, otherwise he wouldn't have been welcomed in.

'_His kitsune magic…' _Hoshi thought, exchanging worried looks with the rest of her companions, _'Kitsunes are known for disguising themselves and stealing from others, but I wonder how long Shippou-chan will be able to hold his transformation…'_

The groups musings were cut short however when a scream echoed from the inside the village's inn, followed by a sharp yelp that sounded suspiciously like it belonged to the group's missing charge.

"There's a demon," a voice called, "there's a demon inside!"

"Gather your weapons!" another voice yelled, "that boy is an imposter!"

"He's here…" Kagome said, and then she was off, ducking in front of the others and disappearing behind the inn's doors.

"Who is she talking about?" Sato snapped, wheeling around to face the others, "I thought you said you had that demon of yours under control? If she injures anyone—"

"With all respect, Yoshi-san…you have bigger problems on your hands…" Inuyasha said, and the villager turned slowly to watch along with the others as an oversized wooden snake tore through the inn's roof, a small redheaded child riding atop its neck.

"What on earth!" Sato cried, "It's a monster, the boy was deceiving us from the start!"

"He is not!" Hoshi snapped, defending the half demon child, "he's just scared, don't hurt him!" but despite her words, a handful of villagers piled out of the inn after the snake, carrying with them weapons of all shapes and sizes. Kagome came out seconds later, looking worn out, but somehow still ready to fight.

"I tried to stop them…" she said wearily.

"They were probably more afraid of you, Kagome-san…" Kohaku pointed out, turning to face the still shocked village leader. "Yoshi-san…if you could call them off, Shippou really means no harm, he's only trying to escape."

"You are…" Sato started, "you are in league with the boy then?" he asked, furious, "leave my village at once! I don't want such people staying here and endangering my people!" he snapped, turning away from them to address a handful of men and women who had approached him with their questions. "Gather any weapons you can, make sure the children are safe…we'll chase him so far away he won't ever want to come back…"

Kohaku frowned and turned back to Inuyasha then, "Inuyasha-sama…what should we…?"

"We've got to find Shippou before the others do…" Inuyasha said, turning to Kagome then, "you can track him, right? Just like you did before…"

She nodded, and without another word to the village people, the tiny group took off in hot pursuit of the little kitsune. It wasn't hard to track him; in fact, Kagome hadn't even had to use her nose once. The few villagers that had chased after him had been led astray by the enlarged wooden snake as it tore through the ground; Shippou meanwhile had leapt off and taken cover in a hollow tree stump.

"Shippou-chan," Hoshi called to him, "Shippou-chan, come here!"

"Hoshi!" He called back, tears once more staining his cheeks as he leapt from his hiding place and ran into her arms. "I'm sorry," he cried, "I couldn't hold my transformation long enough…and when they saw me…"

"It's alright, Shippou-chan," Hoshi reassured the boy, rocking him gently in her arms and pressing her lips gently to the top of his head. "We'll take care of you."

Kagome watched the two for a moment before slowly turning to look over her shoulder at Inuyasha. He looked tired and guilty, and refused to meet her gaze. "He's coming with us." She said evenly, leaving no room for argument.

"Yeah…" he said, then, after hesitating a moment, "there's no use staying around here any longer, let's go."

…

It wasn't until later that evening, when most of the group had long sense fallen asleep, that Inuyasha hesitantly approached Kagome. She sat in front of the dyeing fire, watching as the flames slowly disappeared beneath the charred wood. When he didn't say anything at first her frosty blue gaze turned to look at him, and he was somewhat frozen by the glare she delivered.

"Kagome…ah…" he started, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck nervously,_ 'Damn, what in the hell am I supposed to say?' _

"You should go to sleep," she told him when he didn't continue, "I'm staying up tonight."

Inuyasha scowled down at her then, one eye twitching slightly in frustration. _'Stupid women, why should I even say anything to her at all? It's not my fault if she's…she's…' _he cut himself off then, _'what am I thinking…it's my fault this whole mess was started in the first place, she knew what would happen if we left Shippou alone. I should have listened…' _

"I'm sorry, ok?" he finally admitted, "I didn't mean to…that is…if you were upset by what happened…umm…"

His rambling was brought to a stop by a disbelieving snort from Kagome. She glared at him again. "You idiot," she scoffed, "don't apologize to me. Shippou's the one who…"

"I already talked to him," Inuyasha said, interrupting her, "I just thought…if you had any bad memories that were brought up from what happened earlier…it wouldn't have happened if I had listened in the first place, so…I'm sorry…"

Silence fell between the two of them for a long moment then, Kagome reeling in undisclosed shock from his words, and Inuyasha waiting impatiently for her to say something in response. She was having a harder time keeping her emotionless mask on than usual, he could tell, and he wondered momentarily what she would be like without it, before quickly removing that thought from his head.

'_Why should I care?'_ He thought to himself, _'Hell, what possessed me to apologize in the first place?' _

"Fine," Kagome said after a moment, her words startling him from his thoughts, "just…just…go to sleep…"

'_Fine, she says…' _Inuyasha thought, turning to return to his bedding with a scowl._ 'Unappreciative little bitch…'_ he hesitated once more on his way over however to glance at the half demon, now behind him, and his eyes widened at the look on her face. It wasn't a look he was used to seeing, because she kept her emotions tucked away so deeply inside herself, but the look on her face made his lips quirk upwards.

'_Ah, she's…smiling…'_ he thought, and laid down on his bedding to sleep, _'you can't hide yourself forever…Kagome…' _

…

_AN: OMG did Inuyasha just APOLIGIZE? …yep, he did, you read it right. _

_So Shippou's the next addition to their little band of travelers, Miroku and Hachi will be next…and then Sango and Kirara will be along a couple chapters after that. I hope you're all enjoying the story, remember, I do appreciate constructive criticism (just not the non-constructive kind), so please review and tell me what you think! i love reading your thoughts and ideas! _

_Chapter 9 (Pest Control): our group has been traveling all day without a break and finally they arrive at the next place on their map. It's a temple, and the two that live there seem nice enough…but they have a pest problem. Is our group ever going to get a good nights rest…? APPARENTLY NOT! _

_Toodles! – K _


	9. Chapter 9

_Apologies for the ridiculously late chapter, I did plan to have it out a while ago, but my inspiration ran away. The GOOD news is that there are ways you can help me keep my inspiration around…like writing reviews. ;) _

_Oh, and FYI for those who may become easily scared, this chapter does get a little creepy at times (in my opinion), so read at your own risk, ok? _

**Chapter 9: Pest Control **

The next day found three members of the mismatched group standing in a semi-circle around their leader, Inuyasha, and waiting patiently for Kagome as she took on a handful of demons that still remained from the herd that had attacked them earlier. Many of the demons that had attacked were serpent-like in appearance and very weak, much like the few that the older of their two half demon companions was finishing off now. A small number, five to be exact, had been much stronger though, and had given them a challenge.

They were boar-like demons, with large and muscular bodies and they had sailed in astride the serpents, whipping them creatures with their long, thin tails as they approached. The beasts were covered in a thick layer of brown hair that only made it more difficult to cut into their already thick skin. To make matters worse for the group, the boar-like monsters had come adorned with enormous tusks and giant fists that they had used skillfully in battle.

Hoshi had stayed busy protecting the young Shippou from any stray serpents that thought the human boy might make an easy snack, and of course this left only Kagome, Inuyasha and Kohaku to fight the boar demons on their own. Inuyasha's sword had managed to destroy most of the serpents in one blow, and had injured one of the larger demons enough that it was easily taken care of by Kohaku's chain sickle. Kagome had then managed to defeat two with her scythe, which easily pierced even the strongest armor and thickest flesh with its white hot blade. Finally Kagome and Kohaku had tag teamed, and along with Inuyasha defeated the two that remained.

Now Inuyasha, Kohaku, Hoshi and little Shippou watched as Kagome landed attack after attack on the remaining serpent-like demons. Her battle looked more like a dance while she dodged and attacked, using the thick branches and foliage around her as both a shield and a weapon. At one moment she pulled back a long and thin branch, waiting for the precise moment to release it, and finally doing so when the serpents got close enough. The force was enough to send two of the creatures sailing into each other, causing them to get distracted in fighting each other long enough for Kagome to kill the third.

Finally faced with only two of the serpents, the half demon again used the trees around her as a dance floor, and she easily leapt, spun and dove in whichever way she pleased, confusing her opponents and having fun doing it. She was having far too much fun according to one member of the group, who wasn't at all impressed by her show, and it wasn't until Inuyasha snapped at her for being slow that the half demon got serious and tore through the last few demons in a matter of seconds before returning to the group.

"You humans are so dull…" she said as she approached her companions. "Where's the fun in just taking them all out quickly? I prefer to have a little fun with my prey…"

"Unlike you, I have a schedule to keep." Inuyasha responded in a clipped tone, giving the woman a lingering glance to check for any injuries she may have gained from her (in his opinion) foolish antics. He was pleased to find that, along with his other companions, she had remained unscathed. He gave the group and approving nod and turned to approach his horse, snatching up his map from his saddle bag and reviewing their path for the last leg of the day's travel.

Aside from their most recent battle, the day's travel had been uneventful, and the group had managed to catch up on time. This of course left them in a more relaxed state due to the fact that Inuyasha found no need to snap at them for falling behind or causing delays. It also meant that they had been able to enjoy a long break by the riverside, where Kagome and Shippou caught fresh fish for them while the rest of the group rested their weary bones in the cool water.

They had continued following the river's edge for most of the day, and only just recently turned away from the water to travel along a rough and narrow path up the mountain side which would lead them to their next destination. That was, unfortunately for them, when their luck had run out and they had been faced with a demon attack and forced to defend themselves.

"Where will we be staying tonight, Inuyasha-sama?" Kohaku asked as he approached the older man, Shippou riding atop his shoulders.

The young boy had stuck close to Kohaku for most of the day, enjoying the young man's willingness to give him a ride on the back of his horse or even on his own shoulders when they weren't riding. He only had so many options, and when Hoshi had returned to the smaller of her two forms to save energy, he had instantly turned to Kohaku. Kagome was not particularly fond of him, and made it quite clear that she had no intention of carrying him. Inuyasha meanwhile was busy directing the group and keeping an eye out for danger, leaving the young half demon with only two choices. Try to keep up with Inuyasha's rough pace and risk injuring his young feet, or take advantage of Kohaku's kindness. It wasn't a hard decision to make.

"A castle would be nice…" Hoshi said, flying up beside Inuyasha to peek over his shoulder, "or some hot springs…"

"You already rested at the river Hoshi, don't get greedy." The swordsman said as he lifted up one hand and shooed her away. "I'm trying to read."

"How rude." The fairy retorted sourly, "I'm not greedy, a woman can never have too many bathes, right Kagome?" She only received a roll of the eyes from her half demon friend and faced her with a smug look. "That's right; you wouldn't understand the pleasure of having a good bath. After all, your fur gets so smelly when you come out…"

Hoshi shared a laugh with her other companions at Kagome's expense, watching as the woman seethed at them. "Hoshi you…you…"

"Pay attention." Inuyasha demanded as he turned to face them then, choosing not to partake in the relaxed banter of his companions and waiting for them to become silent and turn questioning eyes towards him before continuing. "According to the notes left here by sensei, we'll be staying at a temple tonight." He started, idly dragging one finger vertically along the letters painted ages ago by his master as he read. "It's taken care of by an older priest and his granddaughter. It should be a quiet and relaxing stay."

"Quiet and relaxing, huh? I like the sounds of that." Hoshi chirped, giving a nod of approval. "A warm meal, and nice bath and a comfortable bed to get a goodnight's sleep…let's hurry!"

"I told you not to get greedy." Inuyasha told her as he climbed onto his horse. "It said quiet and relaxing, not anything about bathes and comfortable beds…"

This time it was Hoshi who rolled her eyes, "ah," she said, "but a little imagination wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"I agree." Kohaku pointed out, also mounting his horse and situating Shippou in front of him comfortably once he was atop the animal. "However…danger always seems to find us…"

"Don't say that…" the fairy replied pitifully.

"Quiet down." Inuyasha demanded again, "We're almost there," he told them, turning in his saddle to look at one particular member of the group, a deep frown on his features. "We'll be there by sundown, but only if we hurry…"

Understanding seemed to wash over Shippou's face with those words and he cringed, ducking down as far as he could into the saddle as if trying to hide himself from the prying eyes of his new family. It was clear that he remembered what had happened earlier, a bit too well for his own comfort. The adults exchanged looks before quickly pointing themselves back on the trail. All of them knew it would be best to keep Shippou's demon side a secret when it was possible, so without another word the group silently continued quickly towards their destination.

The path they followed was rough and the terrain was difficult for the horses to follow at some points. Kagome and Hoshi had no problems as they easily leapt (and in Hoshi's case, flew) over the ground. They did eventually make it to what they assumed to be the temple grounds, but they were surprised to find that the grass and shrubs surrounding the temple were overgrown, the floors looked unclean and the building as a whole looked unlived in aside from two small lamps that lit either side of the entrance.

"This isn't quiet and relaxing at all…" Hoshi pointed out, glancing about the eerie grounds and floating just a bit closer to her companions. "What do you suppose happened here?"

"It could have been abandoned." Inuyasha pointed out, unfazed by the uncomfortable atmosphere that surrounded the whole yard. "I don't sense any negative auras anyway. Even if no one is here we can stay for the night…"

"R-really?" Shippou squeaked as he crawled from the saddle and clung instead to Kohaku's shoulders. "But this place is, is…"

"Creepy?" Inuyasha asked, scowling at him. "Really Shippou, you're a demon, act like it…"

"But right now I'm not…" The boy protested his whole body quivering in fear as wild green eyes darted back and forth across the grounds, anticipating the worst.

"There's nothing to be afraid of here," Kagome told her companions and with a frustrated growl she approached the door, reaching out one clawed hand to pull it open. "Anyway, I can smell—"

The half demon's words were effectively silenced from shock as the door slid open by itself, revealing a disgruntled looking teenage girl, lifting a tiny lamp to Kagome's face in order see her easier. The look that crossed her face when she got a glimpse of the women's not-so-human features was neither friendly nor welcoming, and was enough the send the half demon scurrying back to her equally startled companions with a yelp of surprise.

"What was that about there being "nothing to be afraid of"?" Inuyasha snarled from beside her, taking in her alarmed facial expression. "You're not scared of a human girl are you…?"

"You shut up!" Kagome barked, wheeling around to face him, "I was just startled…that's it…"

"Startled, sure…"

"Why you…"

"I'm Nazuna." The girl spoke, bringing the group's attention back to the human teen standing in the doorway, and looking not at all impressed with her visitors. She had short and dark hair that was pulled back in a tiny ponytail and was dressed in a short green kimono with a simple pattern of pink stars across one shoulder. Her brown eyes judged them fiercely and without an ounce of friendliness towards them.

"Uh…sure…" Inuyasha started, dismounting his horse and approaching her, waving a hand over one shoulder to have his companions follow. "I was told that an older man and his granddaughter ran this place, is that you?"

"It is." She replying shortly, "Grandpa told me we would have visitors, but never suggested that they wouldn't be human." She took a moment then to turn her icy gaze to Kagome and Hoshi, leaving no doubt in either of the women's minds that they were unwelcome.

Inuyasha sidestepped around the teen's unwelcoming words and glanced about the grounds once more. After a moment of searching and coming back empty handed, his eyes returned curiously to the girl in front of him. "Where is your grandfather at? He's the one who owns this place, is he not?"

Nazuna's eyes flashed angrily and her constant frown deepened. "He's dead." She told them curtly, "a month ago he was bitten by a spider and got very sick. I'm in charge now."

Inuyasha wasn't daunted by the young girl's glare and continued onward, "aren't you a bit young to be in charge of a place this size?" he waved a hand around the yard for emphasis, "clearly so if this is how you keep the place." He told her, referring to the unkempt look of the temple yard. "You should seek out someone more experienced and…"

"I don't need help!" Nazuna snapped at him, her angry words and her furious facial expression had the desired effect on the group of travelers and even Inuyasha silenced himself.

"Ah, well…well then…" Inuyasha said eventually, "I am Takahashi, Inuyasha, son of the village leader." He jabbed a finger over his shoulder, pointing out each one of his companions as he named them. "The others are Kohaku, Shippou, Kagome and Hoshi."

Nazuna nodded, raking her eyes over the group one last time before letting her shoulders fall in defeat and turning back to face the temple's entrance. "If you'll follow me…" she said evenly, "I'll take you to your rooms…"

…

An hour or so later Hoshi watched as Nazuna set two trays down just inside the door to the tiny, dirty and dark room where (Hoshi) currently resided, sparing a glance at the two women inside before standing and disappearing behind a slammed shoji screen.

"She really doesn't like us." The fairy pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone, looking around the room with a disappointed frown. After dropping their male companions off in a spacious and well prepared room, Nazuna had led Kagome and Hoshi to this place, down the winding hallways in a dark corner of the temple and far from where they had left the boys. Then, in only a handful of words the young Nazuna had told them with a voice laced with hatred and disgust that she would bring them something to eat at a later time and slammed to door shut before they could question her.

"How annoying, she didn't bring a bed or anything; does she expect us to sleep on the floor?" Hoshi complained as she made her way to the food trays left by the door. A single bowl of vegetables sat on each tray. "I suppose we're lucky we have anything to eat at all…"

When her friend didn't respond she looked over one shoulder to find the half demon on her back, staring at the ceiling with half lid eyes. "Do you want yours, Kagome?" she asked, pointing one finger to the bowl of food.

"You can have it." She replied evenly, then closing her eyes she rolled over to face the wall. "I'm tired, don't bother me anymore."

Hoshi sighed, staring down at the two bowls in front of her. _'Even with seconds, it won't fill my stomach,' _she thought, _'and it doesn't look at all appetizing…'_

"You're in a bad mood, aren't you?" Hoshi started as she took her first bite of the greens. "It's because Nazuna was so rude, right? You never change. Even when you were just a pup, you could always tell by the way people looked at you that they didn't like you, and then you'd go off and pout…"

"That brat has nothing to do with it, I'm only tired, like I said." The half demon moaned, quick to deny that Nazuna, or any other person for that matter could possibly affect her in such a way. Hoshi knew better though. "I couldn't care less what she thinks of me…"

"Of course you wouldn't," Hoshi said, forcing down the next mouthful_. 'Really, what a bad liar she is…but I suppose it's only that she doesn't want to show weakness, the weakness she perceives anyway, in the ability of any person around her to affect her emotionally of mentally with their thoughts and opinions… ' _she looked sadly over her shoulder at her friend once before returning to the putrid food in front of her. _'Such is the life of someone like her…a half demon can't afford to show weakness after all, at the wrong time it could cost them their life.' _

Silence surrounded the two friends for a while after that, only filled by the occasional creek of floorboards or the tortured sounds Hoshi made in the back of her throat as she forced herself to eat the rotten food in front of her. Finally finishing the first bowl the fairy set it down on the tray with a _thunk_ and took a deep breath. She spared a glance at the second bowl but shivered at the thought. Standing up she instead made her way across the floor until she was beside her half demon roommate.

"It feels strange here, don't you think?" she asked, "at first it felt fine…but just a little while ago…"

"Hoshi…" Kagome groaned, rolling away from the wall to scowl instead at the fairy beside her. "Be quiet."

"What? Don't tell me you can't feel it?" Hoshi said, patting the half demon gently on the arm closed to her. "It's almost as bad as those vegetables…"

"Of course I can feel it, stupid," Kagome replied sourly, returning her gaze to the darkened corners of the ceiling above them. Her brows rose at what she spotted there, and she shifted again to meet eyes with the pintsized woman beside her, before nodding to the wooden surface above them. "Look."

Hoshi followed her friend's gaze curiously and wrinkled her face in disgust at what she saw. "A spider?" she asked, and came to her feet, then lifted herself into the air upon her feathered wings to get a better look at the tiny insect. "Do you think it's anything we need to worry about? I guess what Nazuna said…I mean, her grandfather died from a spider bite, didn't he?"

Kagome sat up, not taking her eyes off of the tiny arachnid. "There are more of them," she said, and after hesitating only a moment she continued, "a lot more. I can smell the venom on their fangs, it's disgusting…"

Hoshi returned to Kagome's level and the two exchanged a long look before, as quietly as they could, making their way to the door.

…

Shippou and Kohaku were not far away and were both returning to their own room, shared with Inuyasha, after relieving themselves. Darkness had long since blanketed the sky, leaving only the stars and a slice of the moon to light the sky, but intent on keeping his identity hidden as to not be discriminated against by the young Nazuna, Shippou had once again taken on a human appearance using his fox magic.

"Is that difficult for you?" Kohaku asked as the two made their way down one of the many dark hallways within the temple. "To keep up that appearance, I mean? It must be tiring to hold it for so long…"

"I can only do it for a short time." Shippou admitted, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked and fingering a handful of dried leaves and acorns that he had collected earlier in the day. "My Otoosan was amazing. He could maintain his human disguise for hours and hours…"

"Shippou," Kohaku started, and offered the boy an encouraging smile, "it won't be long before you can do that too, if you keep training." He reached down to ruffle the boys red hair as they turned a corner, "I'm sure your parents would be proud of you. It's good that you could learn from them. I…" his face grew dark and he retracted his hand, "I don't remember my family…"

Shippou paused, turning shocked eyes to see Kohaku's suddenly saddened expression. "Kohaku, you…you don't remember them at all?" he asked, his eyes overflowing with emotion as he felt for the older boy. "Did they…did they…"

The boy shrugged above him, already knowing the question even though the young fox couldn't find the words to finish it. "I don't know." He said, "The village that I know now, where I grew up, found me when I was only about your age. I didn't have any memories and could only remember my name." he sighed and motioned for Shippou to follow as they continued back to their room. "An older couple took me in and raised me until they died when I was 11 years old. Since then I've been living on my own."

Kohaku paused again to look down at the red head beside him. "Sometimes I think it's best that I don't remember my first family, if they really did die I mean. Do you think that's true?"

Shippou frowned, "I don't know." He said, his eyes tired, "but sometimes…I wish I didn't remember…"

"Shippou, I…" Kohaku started, but his next words died in his throat as he caught sight of something in front of them. He relaxed, but only slightly, when he realized the dark figure approaching them was a human. An older man eventually melted out of the shadows and stopped just outside the darkness to smile at them. He wore the robes of a priest and his head was bald and he greeted them with warm and kind brown eyes.

"You two are our new guests, are you not?" After he received two nods of confirmation he continued, "Nazuna-chan must have brought you in then. Is there anything I can help you find?"

"Thank you for your kind offer," Kohaku said politely and bowed respectfully, urging a slightly shaken Shippou to do that same. "We were just retuning to our room." His smile grew awkward when he realized he didn't know who it was he was speaking to, "I'm sorry, but Nazuna-san didn't…she didn't tell us that she had anyone else staying with her…"

"Didn't she?" the older man chuckled, "I'm not surprised. I am her grandfather. I've been sick as of lately and haven't been around much, but I am feeling much better now." He smiled, and stepped aside to let them pass. "Please, if there's anything I can help you with, don't be afraid to ask."

Kohaku and Shippou stood shell shocked in front of the older man for a moment, their eyes wide and their mouths partially opened as if trying and failing to speak the words hanging off the tips of their tongues. Kohaku's right hand found Shippou's left and he squeezed it tightly as the boy clung to him.

"I…I see," He finally managed to spit out, "if you don't mind, we will be going back now."

"Of course not, go on, I won't bite," the old priest told them with a smile, and followed the two with his warm and kind brown eyes as they scurried past him as inconspicuously as possible.

As the two boys turned another corner they both began to run, occasionally looking over one shoulder to see if they were being followed. Thankfully, the older priest was nowhere in sight, despite the way both boys felt they had millions of eyes on the backs of their necks_._

'_Nazuna-san, she…she said that her grandfather had died a month ago. Could it be possible that she was lying?' _Kohaku thought as he raced down the hallways towards their room, _'clearly he isn't dead. Inuyasha-sama will defiantly want to hear about this.' _

When the two arrived back at their room, still clinging to one another and both covered in a cold sweat, they found themselves surprised to see their female traveling companions had already gathered inside, both sitting on either side of Inuyasha and wearing rather uncomfortable expressions.

"What's wrong with you, Kohaku?" Inuyasha barked upon spotting him, "you look as though you've seen a ghost."

"Ah, well…" Kohaku started, rubbing anxiously at the back of his neck as he came to sit beside his companions. "It was…similar to that maybe…"

Shippou disappeared into a cloud of smoke beside him before emerging as a full demon once more and bounded towards Hoshi. The boy let out a soft whimper and took comfort in her presence as she gently raked one hand through his hair. "Shippou-chan…something scared you?" She asked, curious eyes boring into his. "You're not hurt are you?"

"It was terrible!" Shippou started, lifting wide and tear filled eyes towards her, "The priest was—"

"Hush!" Kohaku shouted, scooping up the boy and covering his mouth with one hand before he could continue and possibly alert any outsiders to their superstitions. "We have to be smart about this, you know?" he told him, receiving a nod and setting him on his feet before turning back to the curious onlookers in front of him. "Uh…I'm not sure how to say this—"

"Something happened with you too, then?" Inuyasha interrupted him, "were you attacked?" He asked, and when Kohaku shook his head he relaxed slightly. "Good. Kagome and Hoshi both saw a bunch of spiders and got worried about it, but it's nothing serious…"

"Don't make it sound so unimportant, idiot." Kagome snapped at him, "I'm not worried for myself you know, poison won't affect my body like it will yours…"

"What?" Inuyasha taunted, sending her a look, "you're worried about me now? I'm flattered, really, but I can take care of myself…"

"Not even close…" Kagome ground out then, her fur bristling from his taunts.

"The priest," Kohaku spoke quietly, but it was enough to draw the attention of his companions and quiet the banter between Inuyasha and Kagome long enough for them to listen to him. "We saw him. He introduced himself as Nazuna-san's grandfather and the one in charge of the temple here, but…"

"Nazuna said he died didn't she?" Hoshi pointed out, folding her arms over her chest and frowning up at him. "This is probably the work of a demon or spirit then…"

"Has to be," Inuyasha said, mirroring the fairy beside him with a frown and folding his arms across his chest. "After all, what normal spider could kill a man and then bring him back from the dead a month after? We'll have to find the priest and set things straight…"

"Should we inform Nazuna…? If he's thirsty for blood then he'll be going after her first, don't you think?" Hoshi pointed out, scratching idly at Shippou's head as he shivered beside her.

"Probably," Inuyasha said, reaching for Tetsusaiga, which lay beside him and dragging his fingers across the slick black sheath. "We should all prepare for—"

"Too late."

Inuyasha frowned, turned to stare at the older half demon, still beside him. "What was that?"

"Too late." She repeated, and jabbed one clawed finger in the direction of the door. "He made it here first."

At the door stood the undead priest, watching them silently through a pair of cold and bloodthirsty eyes. His gentle smile had already morphed into something much more dangerous and as his lips pulled back so that he could bare his teeth at them angrily, two long fangs were revealed, each dripping with deadly venom.

"You will not interfere…" he croaked, and slid the door shut quickly. The group remained in position for a moment, shocked, before the sound of hurried footsteps returned their attention to the problem at hand and the four adults scrambled to their feet.

Inuyasha was the first to make it to the door and instantly reached for the wooden frame of the simple shoji screen, but even when he jerked on it several times it refused to budge. "Shit!" He snapped, "That damn bastard locked us in!"

"We're…we're going to be stuck in here forever, we'll all be turned into spider food!" Shippou cried. "I'm too young to die!"

"It's ok Shippou-chan…" Hoshi said, petting the boy gently on the head. It was true that the door was the most logical way to escape, but considering the group consisted of a fairy, two half demons (with fire power) and two humans with considerably larger and more destructive weapons than your average warrior, they could most likely escape any way they wanted. An inconspicuous as possible departure was probably their best option though. The fairy cringed as she turned to look into the shadows and spotted hundreds of tiny spiders clinging to the walls, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. "It'll be ok…" She said again, this time speaking to herself as much as she spoke to the red headed half demon beside her.

"Pulling on the door like that is useless," Kagome barked at the swordsman as she made her way over, sliding in between her human companion and the door. "Get out of my way…"

Inuyasha took her advice and stepped back, although he hardly looked happy about it. He watched carefully as she rested her hands against the crack between the doors frame and the wall. Only a handful of seconds passed before a soft hissing and popping sound was heard and smoke began to rise from the crack. A gentle push later and the door slid open.

Kagome was the first to poke her head out, and glanced down the hall in each direction before turning back at her traveling companions. "I guess he just taped the door up with webbing, there's nothing around…"

"Good." Inuyasha said, pushing past the half demon and making his way into the hall. The number of times Kagome had managed to show him up on this journey was putting a strain on his pride, and he would be damned if he didn't put a stop to it soon.

"We've got to find Nazuna first," Inuyasha told his group as they filed out into the hallway. Many pairs of red, glowing eyes caught his attention then and he turned with a scowl to face the darkened corners around them. Dark creatures that appeared to be human upon first inspection began advancing on them from both sides; eight pairs of glowing red eyes that lay across their warped faces, hunched backs and clawed fingers and toes easily gave them away, however.

"Shit." Inuyasha cursed, and unsheathed his sword, "we'll have to take care of these bastards…"

…

Nazuna knelt down in the kitchen; far from where her visitors were (unbeknownst to her) engaged in battle. She scraped scraps of the mixed meals she had served to the group into her hand and stood to go dispose of it. It had been hard for her to think of anything besides how alone she felt when her grandfather had passed, and so the chores that she had normally done around the temple (sweeping the floors, cutting the grass, and keeping the living areas clean and tidy for instance) had been ignored and she had spent most of her time either in bed or grieving at her grandfather's gravesite. Recently she had managed to drag herself from her depression, only to find that she had ignored her chores for so long that she found herself overwhelmed and unable to fix things by herself, so she made it a point to focus on certain areas of the household (her bedroom and the kitchen mainly) and continue to ignore the rest of her chores.

Her grandfather was the only family she had. Her parents had both been killed by demons early on in her childhood and she had come to live with him at his temple when she was only 5 years. She didn't mind. She hardly remembered her parents at all, and had taken a liking to living in the temple with the kindhearted old man, however when he became sick memories of how her parents left her alone resurfaced and she was devastated by his loss.

"Why did you have to get sick?" She asked herself, pausing in the door to stare sadly into the dark and empty kitchen behind her. "Why did you have to leave me all alone…?"

"But I never left you…Nazuna-chan…"

The young girl jumped, her eyes wide at sight of her dearly departed grandfather's silhouette not five feet from her. "You…" she started, shocked, "you…how did you…?"

"Why Nazuna-chan, aren't you happy to see me?" The old priest asked, closing the distance in between them and wrapping her in his arms. "I'm sorry to have scared you. I was never gone…"

Nazuna felt her body relax inside his gentle embrace, despite the way her mind flew from the shock. _'No,'_ she thought, _'no, he can't be…he can't be alive after all this time…'_ she shook her head furiously and, although regrettably, ripped herself from his arms and put a good many feet in between them.

"Who are you?" She shouted, "Imposter!"

She froze however when she saw the way his once welcoming eyes filled with unhidden hurt. "Nazuna-chan…" he started, "you think I'm an imposter? How could that be?" He asked, "I'm the same man that raised you after your parents died in that horrible, horrible demon attack, don't you remember? You crawled into my arms and cried and cried, and I gave you a bowl of warm soup to ease your pain…"

"What?" Nazuna choked out, her throat suddenly constricting as tears came to her eyes. She remembered, of course she remembered. _'But…could he…really…?'_

"Grandpa…?" she asked tearfully, "Is it really…? How did you…?" she stepped closer, and then fell into his arms with a broken sob. "I'm so sorry!"

"Nazuna-chan…I could never be mad at you…" The old priest whispered, once again wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close. With her face buried contently in his clothed shoulder, she was unable to see the way he grinned, and the way his canines extended to their full length, venom dripping freely onto the wooden floor.

…

Blue flames roared down the hallway for only a matter of seconds, forcing tortured screams from the remaining eight-eyed beasts as their bodies burned until there was nothing but ash left behind. The walls and ceiling groaned as it too took a beating from the extreme heat. The fire resided, and revealed a single figure standing within the smoke, a frustrated scowl plastered across her bloodied face.

"Stupid bastards…" Kagome snarled, and turned to look over her shoulder at her companions, who had ducked down in the corner to avoid the heat from her fire. "I think that took care of things for now." She told them, "We'll have to hurry if we want to save the girl." A grimace crossed her face then and she turned in the direction that she could smell the Nazuna's scent drifting from. Her scent had up until recently not bothered the half demon, but now it was laced with the smell of deadly venom and rotting flesh that was her grandfather.

"He's already found her…"

…

Nazuna sat shocked in the corner of the kitchen, hugging her knees to her chest as she watched the monster; the monster that she thought had been her beloved grandfather, crawl a little closer. "Stay away from me…" she started, her voice cracking, "you…you monster…"

"Nazuna-chan, is that any way to talk to your grandfather?" the monster asked, offering her a fanged smile even as his body jerked again, another limb rising from his back and reaching for the floor. He stood on six legs now, two that had once been arms, two that had been legs, and now two more appendages that had recently ripped themselves from his body. Nazuna cried out as his body jerked once more, and another pair of arms ripped through his body and towards the wood below his warped body.

"You're not my grandpa!" She shouted at him, wiping furiously at the tears that stained her cheeks, willing them to stop falling. "You're a monster that stole his body! Why would you do such a thing?"

"But I am your grandfather, little Nazuna-chan…" He moaned, and crawled a bit closer, each of his eight legs working to get him to her even faster. "Didn't you notice the way I remembered you as a child, and the way I remembered the death of your parents…"

Nazuna shook her head furiously, trying with all her power to melt into the wall behind her. It wasn't working. She let out a deafening scream as she felt one of the monster's rough and calloused and somehow sticky hands touch her thigh.

"NO!" she cried, pressing her hands against his face while still refusing to look at him. "NO!" she screamed again, "stay away from me!"

Another hand rested on her shoulder, and his gaping jaws inched closer, despite her hands trying to force him away. He was close enough now that even she, a human, could smell the poison dripping from his fangs. "N-no…I don't want to die…" she whimpered even as she felt her body begin to weaken under the power of his hands.

"Nazuna-chan…" she heard him saw, his voice raw with hunger. Then she felt the pressure on her shoulders and thigh disappear, his hot breath that had been blanketing her face melted away and she found herself free. A new feeling embraced her, air rushing against her face and a secure embrace against her side, but even that only lasted for a moment. Finally finding her feet she opened her eyes to see her rescuer and found herself horribly disappointed.

"You…" she growled out, glaring at the demon women standing beside her. "How dare you save me…you're no better than him!" she snapped, and spared a glance at the monster that had now completely warped her grandfather's body into a thick and deadly spiders web.

Kagome rolled her eyes, but grabbed the girl's arm with intentions to pull her to safety. "You're an idiot," she told the girl in front of her evenly, "if you want to die I'll leave you here. I don't mind. But if you'd rather do the smart thing and keep on living then I'd suggest you come along."

"I don't want your help!" Nazuna snapped back as she pulled away from the half demon.

"You don't want my help, huh?" Kagome continued, not bothered by the girl's death wish, "fine, die here."

"Kagome!" Hoshi's voice called to her in a disapproving tone from not far away. "You stupid idiot, don't you dare leave her there just because she's ticking you off!"

Nazuna peeked around the half demon's shoulder to see that the rest of the group had come along too, and were waiting just outside the door for them to come through. She turned back to face the webbed monster. _'Is that what he's become?'_ she thought, again feeling the prick of tears behind her eyes. _'Is it really Grandpa that turned into that…that…' _

A rough sounding chuckle rose from the webbing, and from the last remaining scraps of the priests clothes rose the spider's head, his fangs still extended and ready to bite into his prey. His head drew further and further from the webbed body of the monster, and he grinned at them as his neck became like that of a snakes, bringing his dangerous teeth ever closer to the group.

Inuyasha slid in between Nazuna and the monster, lifting Tetsusaiga up in between them. "You bastard, what are you after?" He snarled, swinging the blade a few times and narrowing his eyes on a certain spot that only he could see. His frown deepened. _'I should be able to end this quickly…with one strike, then we can finish the night here and be back on the road early in the morning…'_

"He, he, boy…you don't think you can kill me with that sword do you…?" The monster chortled, his neck stretching out further.

"Watch me." Inuyasha spat, and raised his sword above his head.

None of them could have guessed how fast the spider's lengthy neck could move, and before they could blink, Tetsusiga clattered to the floor and Inuyasha's flailing body was lifted into the air by way of a pair of fangs buried in his shoulder.

"Shit!" Kagome spat, tossing Nazuna's arm away and giving her a firm shove in the direction of her other companions with one shoulder, her gaze focused on the still airborne swordsman. "Bastard!" she howled as she leapt into the air, but she soon came crashing back down to earth, Inuyasha's limp body having knocked her to the ground with one mighty swing of the webbing monster's neck.

"Fools!" The monster hissed, drawing his neck back for another strike, "How could you possibly think you could win?"

"Kagome!" Hoshi's worried voice carried across the distance, "We need to go!"

The half demon spared her friend a glance and stiffened at the sight of a new pack of the eight-eyed beasts as they surrounded them. Nazuna was safe behind Hoshi's barrier, along with Shippou, but this time it was clear that they were outnumbered.

"Shit…" the moaned, and turned to scowl over her shoulder at the webbed monster behind her. His grin was frightening and only seemed to grow across his face at the clear frustration and hatred that showed clearly on hers.

She stood up, not daring to leave Inuyasha's body unprotected for more time than it took to leap from the ground and draw the white hot blade of her scythe across the webbing of the monster in front of her, narrowly missing a half dozen snaps of his venom laced fangs as he tried and failed to reach her. Returning to the ground she reached for Inuyasha's limp body and secured him in her arms before taking a leap over the eight-eyed creature's tall bodies to reach her companions.

"Open a path and we can go," She told them, "Hoshi, get ready to move the others to safety, Shippou and I will come back and take the rest…"

"What?" Shippou squeaked, looking through glassy green eyes at the older half demon. "Why do I have to…?"

"Because you're going to be useless anywhere else," Kagome told him evenly, and as they all ducked behind Hoshi's barrier and crept down the hall she finally turned her eyes back down to the poisoned man, still somehow clinging to life, beside her. "Idiot. You're lucky you haven't died yet."

Inuyasha, to his credit, had managed to maintain consciousness enough that he could growl back at her, "Bitch, I'll be fine…"

"The poison needs to be sucked out before it gets any worse," Hoshi told them, still concentrating on her barrier as they made their way down the hall and tried to ignore the eight-eyed beasts as they rammed themselves savagely into the invisible wall.

"I know, get us outside and I'll do it." The half demon responded evenly. Moments later they made it into the overgrown yard and crept beside a wall. Hoshi's barrier remained erect, and the group watched as a handful of the human shaped monsters crawled around the yard, each one watching them with eight hungry eyes.

Kohaku sat beside Inuyasha, watching his companion take deep breathes of oxygen while the poison began to take effect. "Hoshi-san, can't you…?"

The fairy looked over her shoulder at him sadly, "I can't do anything for him. I'm sorry." She said, "I've said it before you know, I can heal wounds and stop bleeding but…anything else is beyond my powers."

"Kohaku, move," Kagome snarled, and knelt down beside the fallen swordsman, not looking at all thrilled about what she was about to do. She met Inuyasha's furious gaze (it was amazing her that he had managed to maintain consciousness) with her own steady one as she reached for the cloth that covered his wound and pulled it back. "You just keep still."

Once the cloth had been moved aside Kagome hesitantly leaned down closed her mouth over his injury (all while wondering if she had somehow managed to finally loose her mind). Inuyasha's body convulsed as she began to suck the polluted blood from the gaping wound on his shoulder, and he even went so far as to reach up one hand, curled into a fist and land a rather painful punch on her arm. She promptly sucked harder in retaliation before pulling back and spitting his venom laced blood into the grass.

"Bitch!" Inuyasha howled, delivering enough pressure to her already sore arm as he tried to push her away that she considered for a moment leaving him to succumb to the poison. "That hurt!"

After considering that for less than one second however, she returned to the wound and decided that she'd rather not have his death on her conscious. "Get over it." She told him, and chose to ignore his protests for another handful of minutes while she continued to suck the remaining venom from his blood. It wasn't until the taste of venom disappeared completely that she pulled back and settled on the ground beside him.

"Bitch…" Inuyasha croaked out, sending her a frustrated look through tired golden eyes before closing them, and digging his fingers into the dirt as the venom that Kagome had been unable to reach continued its path through his veins, his body already trembling from the pain.

"You're welcome…" The half demon responded curtly, wiping the blood from her lips and spitting a few more times in attempt to get the horrible taste from her mouth. "It tasted terrible…"

"Kagome-san, thank you…" Kohaku said, approaching her with a relived smile. "Thanks to you Inuyasha-sama will…"

"Don't thank me yet." She replied, startling him. "There is still venom there that spread before I could get to it. Thank me when he's standing on two feet and shouting at us for being slow…then you can thank me…"

Kohaku's smiled weakened, but he nodded just the same. "I will, on Inuyasha-sama's behalf."

Kagome nodded in return, and then turned to scowl at the red headed boy currently cowering behind Kohaku. "Brat, you're coming with me." She told him as she stood, "don't complain."

"B-but, but, but…" the young half demon protested. "Wh…why do I have to go?" he cried out, then scurried away when the older half demon made a grab for him. "Hoshi, save me!"

"Kagome, really…what are you planning?" the fairy asked her, scooping the boy into her lap with one hand. "You aren't going to burn the temple to a crisp, are you?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do." Kagome replied in a matter-of-fact way, folding her arms across her chest and looking unbothered by the surprise of her companions. "What? The place is a mess anyway, and there isn't a way to save the old man and return him to normal, right?"

"Well, since the spider who bit him clearly wasn't a spirit…there isn't, but still…" whatever Hoshi was planning to say next the group would never know, for at that moment the young Nazuna zipped past her and nearly tackled Kagome to the ground with the force of her approach. She threw blind punches in each and every direction to which Kagome neatly dodged each fist before taking each of the teen's wrists in either one of her hands and lifting the girl a handful of inches off the ground.

"Little brat, what's your problem?" She snapped.

"You can't!" Nazuna shouted angrily, returning the half demon's frustrated gaze with a tear stained one of her own. "You can't, it's the only place I have, it's my home! You can't just…just…"

"What would you rather have me do? Leave the place standing and let you get killed next time when the spiders have returned?" Kagome replied evenly, giving her hostage a gentle shake before returning her to the ground. "Without destroying the place there's no telling if I will kill all the spiders or not. Haven't you noticed? They are everywhere…there are thousands of them…"

"She does have a point, doesn't she…?" Kohaku started, "but is it really necessary to destroy the whole place?"

"Nazuna, listen…" Hoshi started, her tone calm and soothing to the frustrated teen. "It would be best to destroy everything here, otherwise there could be survivors and once we leave they could attack you again. Even if you eventually move from this place…it's dangerous to leave it alone…"

Kagome watched curiously as the girl in front of her dropped her shoulders in defeat and slowly crept back to the wall that she'd been resting against before. Her expression was partially hidden by her bangs, but it wasn't hard to tell that she was crying by the way her body shook and occasionally a soft whimper escaped her lips. With a sigh the half demon turned back to Hoshi.

"You should move everyone off the property in case the fire spreads while we're inside," she told the fairy, reaching down beside her to lift one squirming fox child up by his long red tail, and plopping him down on one shoulder. "I'll send the brat out if anything goes wrong…"

…

"I'm just a child you know…I'm too young to die…I don't have much training, I won't be of any help, it's not too late to send me back with the others…"

"Be quiet." Kagome snapped finally, reaching below her to rest a threatening fist on her young companion's head. "I'm trying to think."

The two currently sat just inside the door, Kagome crouched down low and Shippou curled in her lap, shivering. They watched as multiple pairs of the human shaped, dark skinned and eight eyed creatures marched past them through the hallways. Just above their heads millions of tiny black spiders crawled quickly over the wood, all heading in the same direction. Thankfully, even with all of those pairs of eyes, the two half demons had yet to be spotted.

"They're planning something…" Kagome whispered, sparing a glance at the young boy. "It'll be easier to destroy them all if they group up in one place, we'll follow them."

"Are you crazy?" Shippou squeaked, "If they're all in one place it'll be easier for them to kill us!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and stood, taking Shippou with her. "Wimp." She spat, "look, they're already gone."

"You're not…really going to follow them…right?"

The older of the two half demons glanced down at the younger, expression unreadable for a moment, before a crooked grin crawled across her face, her fangs poking out past her lips. "Your job is to take care of and bastards that come up behind me, understood?"

Shippou gulped. "I…I…o-ok…"

…

Moments later the two found themselves in a similar situation, crouched just outside what they guessed was Nazuna's bedroom, as they listened to the spiders scurry about.

"Those pathetic human's will have to wait until their leader heals from the poison until they attack again, that will give us plenty of time to prepare to welcome them back into our home…" the old priest's voice rose above the chattering. "You will overwhelm the others, and especially take care of that half breed bitch, she'll go down eventually. Bite her a million times if you have to. Her blood is bound to be tasty."

Happy chattering followed the priest's words followed by the sound of rustling. "This one…" the monster continued, "this one is mine."

Kagome peeked around the door's frame to see the webbed beast had spread himself out across the room, thousands of spiders, large and small surrounded him, and in one of his wrinkled and clawed hands he held a tiny doll that looked similar to the teen they had left outside. With a cruel smile he tossed the doll away and watched in satisfaction as it landed in a heap just outside the door. Kagome jerked back away from the door, one hand closing tightly over Shippou's mouth as they watched several of the eight eyed monsters crawl into their vision to scoop up the doll.

Shippou whimpered helplessly at the thought of them being so close, before Kagome's tight hand on his mouth made him realize his mistake. Eight red eyes of one of the many beast rose from the now forgotten doll on the floor to stare at the pair of half demons sitting only a handful of inches away.

"Damn you Shippou…" Kagome snarled and raised her free hand to claw at the monster, effectively removing his head with her sharp talons before standing and moving into the vision of the old priest and thousands of hungry red eyes. "What makes you think I need some human to lead me into battle?" she snapped at the startled beasts before her. "I can kick your ass just fine by myself."

With that said, the half demon dumped Shippou to the ground and lunged into the pack, her scythe raised above her head and her eyes matching it's blade with a soft blue that was almost white glow.

…

"It looks like they're winning…I mean, from what I can tell from here…" Kohaku said, wincing as the next level of the temple came crashing to the ground. The building that had stood tall just an hour before was now withering under the heat of Kagome's fire. "I hope they're alright…"

"They'll be Fine, Kohaku." Inuyasha said, raising into a seated position and glancing down curiously at his shoulder where, only moments earlier two deep wounds caused from the lengthy fangs of the old priest had been. He turned to look behind him. "They're gone now, thanks Hoshi."

The fairy sat beside Nazuna, rubbing one of the teen's shaking shoulders in attempt to comfort her. "It's not me you should thank." She told him without bothering to meet his gaze. "If Kagome hadn't removed the poison you would have died for sure," she reminded him, and then turned to watch as he stood. "The fact that you're already standing is…unusual…for a human I mean."

"Huh? You think so?" Inuyasha asked, curious eyes turning to glance back at her. She didn't answer.

"They're coming back now." Kohaku said, alerting his three companions to the return of both half demons. Without waiting for a response from the others he stepped through Hoshi's still erect barrier and went to meet them. "Are you both alright? Is everything taken care of?"

Kagome nodded, looking tired and crispy around the edges as she continued walking. "He's dead." She replied evenly, and then, as if a second thought she reached into her haori and lifted an old and tattered doll from her clothes. "Give this to Nazuna…" she replied.

"A doll?" Kohaku asked, peering down at the child's toy. "But where did…?"

"We found it in Nazuna's bedroom." Shippou told him, effortlessly leaping up onto the boys shoulder and staring down into the knotted black eyes of the doll. "It looks like her…or that's what Kagome said anyway…I think she's trying to be nice…"

"Hey, how did it go?" Inuyasha asked as he too approached the returning group members. "No survivors, right?"

"Ah…you…you…" Kagome started, shocked at the sight of Inuyasha not only standing, but walking towards her. His body seemed to be free from the pain that he had endured earlier. "You…" she continued sputtering, lifting one clawed finger to point at him in shock. "How are you…?"

"Quit sputtering, what's your problem?" The swordsman snapped once he'd reached her, folding his arms across his chest and taking a moment to search both half demons for any possible injuries. Aside from looking somewhat ruffled from battle they both appeared to be fine.

"You're standing…walking…no, even the fact that you're conscious is amazing. How did you recover so quickly? That venom was…"

"What? You removed the venom, remember? So I'm fine now." He replied, turning to face the group as a whole then, "the sun will rise soon, that's when we'll head out, so rest while you can. Nazuna, we'll drop you off on our way. It's far too dangerous for you to come with us. Do you know of any place near here…?"

A moment of silence passed before the young girl climbed to her feet and hesitantly turned to watch the last remaining pieces of her home succumb to the flames. She walked a bit closer, head bowed as she hugged herself tightly. "I'll…I'll be fine," she managed.

"Uh…oh, Kagome-san?" Kohaku started, before placing the doll back Kagome's hand. "You should do it, don't you think?"

Kagome glared at the boy beside her, before turning to Nazuna with an even deadlier expression. "Hey, I found this," she said, tossing the doll into the teen's unsuspecting arms, making her fumble to catch it. "Take it."

"You could have been a little nicer about it, stupid." Hoshi pointed out, swatting at the half demon's ears playfully. "How do you ever expect people to like you that way?"

"Who ever said I expected anyone to like me, fool?" Kagome snapped, swatting back at the fairy and only just missing her as she flew out of reach. "Idiot! Brat! Stupid!"

"Thank you."

The group froze as a whole, all eyes turning to the once again tear-filled gaze of the teen beside them. This time she was smiling. "Thank you." She said again. "It was something grandpa made for me when I was a child, this way…I can remember the good times…so…thank you…"

"Y…you…" Kagome started, trying desperately to fight off the warm, fuzzy feeling that welled inside her. It wasn't often that she got thanked or apologized to, in fact, she could probably only count on one hand the times it had happened outside her pack. "Whatever, I didn't bring it to you so that you could get all blubbery on me again." She snapped, pushing past her companions and putting a good number of feet between the group's prying eyes and her stiff shoulders.

"She means well, Nazuna-chan. She really does." Hoshi said, resting a gentle hand on the girls shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Try to get some rest now…we'll be leaving soon."

…

It was only a handful of minutes until sunrise and the sky had melted into a beautiful display of reds, pinks and oranges in prelude to the sun's arrival. Three humans and one young half demon still rested beneath the trees, comfortable and safe from any potential threat under Hoshi's protective barrier. Hoshi meanwhile, was being dragged off into the forest by the older and more inconsiderate of the two half demons.

"I could be sleeping." Hoshi protested, "You know we're going to have another long day ahead of us now that Inuyasha has been healed…"

"Exactly."

"Huh?" Hoshi looked at Kagome curiously as she pulled to a stop. "What on earth are you thinking now, Kagome?"

"No normal human could recover that quickly." Kagome pointed out. "What do you know about it?"

Hoshi watched the half demon for a moment before her gaze eventually drifted to where she knew the spoken of human rested just far enough away that he couldn't even hope to hear their conversation. "I don't know anything about it." She said finally, "maybe he just has a really good immune system…"

"Right, and maybe I'm a walking zombie."

"That doesn't make any sense, Kags."

"You know something about it right?"

"Why would you ever think something silly like that?"

Kagome snarled at her, "I sucked the venom from his wound, sure, that gave him a better chance but I knew he could die even from what little was left. Hell, I half expected him to be dead by the time I got back! Instead he's walking around like nothing happened!"

"Well…" Hoshi started, her eyes now falling to the ground. "He has golden eyes; you've noticed that, right? Of course you have, you've known him even longer then I have. Normally humans don't have golden eyes either." She lifted a finger to her chin then before continuing then, "I vaguely remember your mother telling me something about it, and she only knew because Takahashi-san, Inuyasha's father, asked her first.

"Asked her what?" Kagome snapped, now intrigued by where Hoshi's words were going. "What are you getting at?"

"He asked if she would share her blood with him."

Kagome froze at those words, her eyebrows disappearing behind shaggy black bangs. "Share her blood? You don't mean the blood ritual, do you? Isn't that deadly?"

Hoshi shrugged. "About one human in every thousand is strong enough to withstand it, that's what we figured anyway. That's why your mother refused. Takahashi-san…at the time Inuyasha was only a young boy, and he had a wife about to give birth. She refused to let him take that chance."

"So…then…"

"He moved on to Sesshoumaru's father, who agreed, after all Takahashi-san was willing to pay a lot of money." Hoshi told her, watching multiple emotions run across Kagome's face. "I'm not sure about the process, after all it's so dangerous that it's rarely attempted."

Kagome only stared at her. To say that the half demon was shocked would have been a grand understatement.

"You've probably already put the pieces together but, Inuyasha and his father, neither of them are truly human. They've both undergone the blood ritual and managed to survive." Hoshi continued, "Inuyasha probably doesn't remember anything, if he did he would no doubt understand his ability to use the Tetsusaiga."

"That's right, that blade was also…wasn't it?"

Hoshi nodded, "one of the fangs of our dearly departed ruler of the south. Sesshourmaru has the others."

"What do you know about it?" Kagome asked finally, "the process I mean?"

"I can only tell you what I know myself." Hoshi said, "by injecting some demon blood into the veins of a human, under certain circumstances, and if the human survives, the results will be a human with some of the abilities of the demon whose blood was used." Hoshi took a moment to stare at her half demon friend before continuing on, "obviously Inuyasha and his father got the golden eyes. They will likely have better endurance, heal quicker, live longer…and of course be able to use weapons such as the Tetsusaiga."

"He's kind of like you, you know? Except you were conceived naturally and he was most likely forced to endure this by his father. You of course have a much higher percentage of demon blood too…

The two fell silent for a moment after that, and Hoshi watched the cloud of emotions as they crawled over her friends face. Shock was only one of the faces that Kagome adorned as she thought through this new information. Hoshi wondered then what Inuyasha would feel when he received the same news, whether it be from them, his own father, or even Sesshoumaru. They were only a few days travel from the barrier after all, and Sesshoumaru wasn't the type that would step on eggshells to avoid hurting someone.

'_He's not going to be happy, that's for certain.'_ Hoshi thought, once again turning in the direction of their sleeping companions. Then her face darkened slightly and she turned to face Kagome with a serious gaze. "Kagome…you know if you tell him there will be questions…it might be better if we leave the job to someone else."

Kagome sighed and nodded in agreement. "It would be best…"

The two exchanged looks for a moment as a few more silent words passed between them before they returned to camp.

…

_AN: Tada! It's finished! I had fun writing about Nazuna in this one, and I know some of you might be disappointed that I didn't have a huge battle go down with the spiders…but I kind of got lazy. If you want a battle scene you can look forward to the next chapter though, there's sure to be some action, and lots of blood. :D _

_I also hope you enjoyed reading the character development on all the characters as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love giving my characters lots of history. It makes them more real. ;) _

_Anyway, Kagome will be getting some serious character development in the next couple chapters, that will be fun…dark…bloody…but fun. You can look forward to that, and guess what? MIROKU will be arriving shortly (all you who are fans of the pervert)! _

_**Chapter 10 (Family):**__ Hmm, I wonder what this chapter will be about…? Since it's already partially written I thought I'd leave you all with a little something different,_

"_Don't make that face, Kagome." The woman replied coldly, "we've discussed this."_

"_But why can't I come with you?" the half demon protested, already knowing what was to come. "I could help you, I could…" _

"_It's dangerous, too dangerous for a half demon like yourself, you know better." _

_Ouch, right? Yeah…I enjoy beating up on Kagome and will continue to do so throughout the story as much as possible. It's not that I don't like her, really, it's just…so easy…and kind of fun. _

_*gets stabbed*_

_Yeah, I'm sure if she could manifest a body outside of my head I would have been ripped apart into many little pieces, long, long ago. :D _

_Toodles! – K _


	10. Chapter 10

_Hey all, chapter 10 is here. I like Nazuna, I think she's a cool character with an interesting background…similar perhaps to that of many other characters throughout the manga and anime but interesting just the same, so I gave her a bigger piece in my story and spent some time developing her. Now we say goodbye but they are friendly village people, I promise, so no spiders. :)_

_Onward with the story! Read and review, please and thank you! :D _

**Chapter 10: Family **

"That's it then." Inuyasha said, taking a step back from the teenage girl in front of him and sparing one more glance over the teen's head at a handful of villagers that had gathered to welcome the girl into her new home. He turned his gaze back to Nazuna again and offered her a finalizing nod. "Take care of yourself kid."

"I will." The teen replied as she too looked back at what was to become her new family. They offered her gentle smiles and waved in a friendly and welcoming manner, but it would be a while before she could truly consider this place her home. She hugged her doll a little bit closer to her chest as she took one last look out at the group in front of her. They had saved her life, and changed it in many ways while doing so. She owed them everything.

"I'm…I'm sorry for being so rude at first, I never did apologize." She said, "Where is the demon woman, the one with the ears? I wanted to thank her again for what she did…"

"You mean Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, "She's left already. Hoshi and Shippou went with her. We'll give them the message when we catch up." He turned away from her then to take his horse's reins in one hand, maneuvering himself into position before he swung himself up into the saddle. He turned to Kohaku who was beside him and already atop his own steed, jerking his head in the direction of their travel and wordlessly explaining to the younger man that it was time to go.

Kohaku smiled down at Nazuna once before the two trotted off, "Goodbye Nazuna, we'll be going now."

"Yeah…" Nazuna stared and her shoulders fell slightly as she watched the two disappear into the distance. "Yeah…" she whispered, finally turning back towards the patiently waiting men and women behind her. "Goodbye."

…

Not far ahead a red headed human boy and an equally red headed fairy struggled to keep up with the speed walking of their half demon companion. "Kagome," Shippou called up to her, "uh, Kagome, don't you think we should wait for the other's to catch up?"

"No." the half demon replied flatly, not breaking her pace and barely even turning to spare the young boy a glance before continuing on.

Hoshi scowled and with a little extra effort managed to fly up to Kagome's shoulder where she perched in order to speak with the speeding half demon. "Kagome, really, what's bothering you now?" she asked, "poor little Shippou-chan is human now you know, and he's still not used to our pace. Besides that, the others are…"

"It's fine." Kagome said, brushing the fairy away and forcing her to take flight again. "You two stay here and wait."

"But…"

Kagome paused then, but only long enough to deliver a hair raising glare to her two friends. "Or you can come with me," she offered, but her voice was far from friendly. "But you better be able to keep up."

Hoshi and Shippou watched in silent shock as she then turned and took off again, speeding away so fast that they didn't bother to follow. Shippou turned bright and curious eyes to look above him and question Hoshi, "is she still angry? From what happened last night, I mean?"

Hoshi was silent for a long moment and only reached down once to absently scratch at the boy's silky red hair. _'She's not still mad, I know her better than that. Kagome's never been the type to hold a grudge over something like that…so what on earth is causing her to be so nasty all of the sudden?' _the fairy thought, _'is there danger? But if that's the case, then wouldn't she tell me?'_

"Hoshi…the others…" Shippou piped up, tearing her away from her thoughts.

"Huh, the others?" Hoshi asked, than followed the child's pointing digit to where they could see Inuyasha and Kohaku approaching on horseback. As the horses brought them closer she could see that both the humans and the equines already looked rather weary from their run to catch up. _'It is hot outside.'_ The fairy thought, _'unusually hot…I wonder if something's going to happen?'_

"What is with the weather?" Inuyasha asked as the two men made it into hearing range, "once we made it past the river there was all this heat…" he continued, as if reading Hoshi's thoughts. Then something else caught his attention. "Hey, where did Kagome get to?"

"She's in a bad mood." Shippou explained, eagerly climbing up behind Kohaku so that he would rest his sore feet. "She wouldn't slow down at all…" he continued before turning to Inuyasha with a grin. "She'll listen to you, won't she Inuyasha? Why don't you ask her?"

"Why would she listen to me?" Inuyasha asked in a deadpan tone, and then turned to scowl into the distance where the subject of their current conversation was barely visible, still jetting along across the horizon. "Stupid bitch, just where does she think she's going without us?"

"Should we try to catch up to her, Inuyasha-sama?" Kohaku asked, already moving his horse back into a steady gait.

"Of course," Inuyasha scoffed, and together the two of them prepared to take off.

"Wait, wait…" Hoshi started, causing her human companions to pause long enough to look at her with curious gazes. "About what you said…it got really hot suddenly…it did, didn't it?" she said, only confusing her friends more as she dragged a stressed hand through her short auburn hair. "I need to talk to her."

"Hoshi-san?" Kohaku asked carefully, "Is something wrong…?"

"It…well…" Hoshi started, then shook her head and managed a smile in the direction of the three worried men. "It's nothing, I'm sure." She reassured them, "let's just catch up to Kagome for now, she's been such a brat lately…"

"Let's go." Inuyasha told them, and they took off together into the scorching heat of the sun, intent on catching up with their quickly disappearing half demon companion. It only took a few minutes for the horses long and powerful legs to make it to Kagome's side, after all she was still walking (although it was at a ridiculously fast pace). As the group reached her, each horse stepped up on either side of the half demon, matching her pace.

"Why the rush, Kagome-san?" Kohaku asked, daring to be the first to question the obviously frustrated half demon. "Can't we slow down?"

"No." Kagome replied flatly, and as if trying to challenge her companion's patience to the very end, she only picked up speed.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and leaned forward in the saddle to grab Kagome by the shoulder and with one hand on the reins and the other grasping the cloth of Kagome's haori tightly; he pulled both horse and half demon to a short stop. So much for doing things the easy way, but he should have known better, nothing was ever easy with her. He'd be damned however if he let her get away with controlling the whereabouts and pace of their journey, and furthermore, if he'd let her hide things from him. It wasn't as if he cared for her, but if she were to hide something from him, the leader of their merry little band, and from the group as a whole that could relate to their safety then he was going to have something to say about it.

"Stupid bitch, why don't you—" His words ended there however when she jerked herself away from him, with such force that he nearly came off of his horse. He waved his offending hand through the air a few times as if brushing off the surprise of her quick reaction and then turned scowling to look down at her. "Damn you…what's your problem?"

"Nothing is…" Kagome started, but she hesitated for a moment before continuing. Her eyes drifted across the curious, confused and frustrated expressions that covered the faces of the group around her. She bit her lip then and rose her determined eyes to meet Inuyasha's gaze. "You should leave." She told him finally, "Take the others and get back to the village…the one you left that girl with…"

Inuyasha was far from impressed. "What?" He asked, "what in the hell are you babbling on about? We're not leaving."

Kagome bristled from his immediate refusal and snapped at him, "You idiot! You'll all be in danger if you stay, don't you understand that?"

Only a handful of seconds past before Inuyasha's mind registered what she was suggesting. His face darkened several shades and he leaned forward in his saddle to get a better look into the frustrated blue gaze of his companion. "So that's it then?" He asked, "There's something dangerous ahead and you want to take care of it by yourself?" He felt a satisfied smirk cross his lips at the way the half demon squirmed under his intense stare. He'd nailed it.

"You can forget about it." He said, pushing himself back up in the saddle. "We're not leaving."

"What?" Kagome hissed, her gaze locking on his again. "Why you—"

"Kagome," Hoshi said, catching the frustrated women's attention as she flew directly in between her two bickering group mates. "What's going on? Is it because you were able to smell something, or…?"

"I…" Kagome started, but then she hesitated again and turned away to face the path so that the prying eyes of her companions couldn't see the worry written so clearly across her face. "Why don't you just…just go. It'll be too dangerous for a bunch of _humans_ to be here when…"

Inuyasha was about to reject her suggestion again, and demand a more reasonable excuse then _just because_, but when he opened his mouth no words came out. Instead his shocked golden gaze turned to face South. _'That aura is…it's overpowering…'_ he thought, turning back to take in the look of unmasked horror on Kagome's face. As he turned to look at his other companions he noticed that Hoshi's face was a mirror to Kagome's. It was no doubt that they all had felt it. It was impossible to miss. _'What…what is going on here? What are they hiding…?' _

"She's coming." Kagome said after a moment, jerking her companions from their thoughts as she turned to face them with cold, stony eyes that left no room for argument. "If you want to live then I'd highly suggest you leave now. Even then, she's already caught your scent by now. She knows I have others with me…"

"Who's _she_?" Inuyasha demanded, leaping from his horse and grabbing a handful of the cloth covering her chest, nearly lifting her off her feet as he dragged her towards him. "What in the fuck is going on here? What are you hiding?" He snarled.

Kagome snarled back, but answered his question despite herself, "She's Kikyou." She said in a steely tone, "She my half-sister."

"Sister…" Inuyasha started, suddenly loosening his hold on the half demon and finally releasing it. "If she's your sister then why…?"

"We're not exactly on speaking terms." Kagome said, answering the swordsman's unasked question before turning to face the rest of the group as a whole. "There's not much time. She's already pinpointed our location; she's only taking her time getting here. If all of you are gone by the time she arrives then you won't be involved, just don't even think about turning around…"

"Kagome-san…" Kohaku started, "wouldn't it be best to stay together? If she's really as strong as you suggest…"

"She'll kill you." Kagome interrupted bluntly, "if you get in her way, or engage in battle with her then you can all consider yourselves already dead. I've fought her before, many times. I know how much power she has, hell, you felt that rise from her aura before. The longer you stay here the less chance you have of making it."

"But…but then won't she…" the group turned to look down at Shippou who had since dismounted along with the older men in the group. He didn't hesitate to express in words what rested uncomfortably in the back of everyone else's mind. "Won't she hurt you too?"

"I can survive a lot worse than any of you can. I'll be fine." Kagome answered in a dismissive manner, weaving in between her companions until she stood out front again, her back to them. "Go." She told them, "Now."

As the seconds passed by, only the sound of silence met Kagome's ears, then after a moment the sound of horse's hooves scuffing the dirt and weight shifting in the saddle caused Kagome's rigid body to relax slightly. _'They've decided to leave then…'_ she thought with a sigh of relief, and glanced curiously over one shoulder to watch as they disappeared, only to watch instead in dismay as Inuyasha passing his reins to Kohaku and waving him off.

"Take care of Shippou, understand? Return here once you've dropped him off safely." He told the younger man, before turning back to face the angry half demon now beside him. The glare he delivered then was one with enough ferocity to challenge hers. "You," he bit out, "do you have any idea what it means to be partners, to be part of a team?" Kagome flinched and he continued. "We didn't bring you on this journey so that you could sacrifice yourself every time something dangerous happened! We'll fight as a team, and win as a team!"

"You…you…you…" Kagome managed to spit out before, with a wild snarl she reached forward to give him a shove in the direction of Kohaku, who despite Inuyasha's orders seemed to be waiting to make sure that the his two traveling companions didn't kill each other before the real threat arrived. "You idiot!" Kagome finally spat, "Do you want to get yourself killed so badly?"

"I'm not going to get killed!" Inuyasha spat right back at her, "stupid, you make it sound like I've never handled powerful demons before!"

"You've never fought anything like Kikyou…" Kagome told him evenly, but before she could continue a very sudden closeness of her sister's presence caused her insides to knot up and her heart to skip a beat. She wasn't the only one that had been shocked into silence. In front of her Inuyasha's face paled and his body grew tight and beside her Kohaku was far too frozen to run off to safety the way Inuyasha had instructed him to just a few minutes earlier.

Hoshi and Kagome exchanged a frustrated look as the air grew hot and sticky around them. "Hoshi…" the half demon managed, her voice strained, "you'll protect them, won't you?"

"Of course," The fairy replied, and somehow managed a weak smile to her friend as she watched the half demon turn to face the approaching silhouette of her older sibling. "Just promise me you won't get yourself killed."

"Kikyou." Kagome greeted her sibling with a tone as cold as the snow as she reluctantly turned to face the demon now visible only several hundred feet from her. _'And that's as far as she'll get if I have anything to say about it.' _Kagome thought, watching with a satisfied grunt as the full blooded wolf demon stopped in her tracks and lifted her head slightly to meet her younger sister's frozen gaze.

She was beautiful; she really was, but Kagome knew better. Kikyou was only beautiful on the outside. Her insides had frozen over and turned to ice long before Kagome had ever met her, of that she was sure. Kikyou was a deadly mixture of power and confidence, and in the worst cases, determination. When Kikyou wanted something, she would not hesitate to take down anything in her way, be it human, demon or otherwise, and Kagome had firsthand experience with this fact. The half demon shivered lightly as memories of her childhood, and her first meeting with this almighty monster swept through her mind.

Kikyou had the same long black hair that swept down her back as Kagome, however unlike her half demon sister Kikyou kept it pulled behind her back in a thin, well-kept ponytail, only leaving two thin tails loose on either side to drop over either one of her shoulders. Kikyou had the same blue eyes as Kagome, however even in Kagome's darkest moods her eyes were warm, like the fire that she could so easily create and manipulate, while Kikyou's pale blue eyes only resembled a block of ice. The only demonic features that adorned Kikyou's body aside, from long sharp claws and equally long and sharp fangs, only hidden by her closed lips, were her pointed ears. In contrast Kagome had multiple demonic features that easily gave away the half-transformed state of a half demon.

The older of the two wolf demons was dressed in a similar haori and hakama to her younger sister, but the cloth was clearly made of more rich materials. While most of the cloth was a blue so light that could easily be mistaken for white, patterns that crossed over the left and right shoulders and the bottom of each sleeve were drawn in a blue several shades darker. Silver armor covered Kikyou's breasts and stomach before wrapping around behind her back. She also wore armor over the tops of her hands, which wrapped around her wrists and disappeared under her sleeves. A pair of well-made leather boots of brown crawled up her legs and stopped just short of her knees, effectively protecting her legs and feet. To finish off her outfit, a thick black obi wrapped around her waist and matching in color, a scarf that looked to be made from the pelt of a wolf wrapped around her neck.

"It fits you well Kagome," Kikyou said finally. Her voice was soft, and it would have been soothing had it not been lacking emotion of any kind. Instead it drew shivers up the spine and awakened tiny goose bumps across the flesh. "To be traveling with a pack of worthless and weak humans like the ones here…" her eyes landed on the tiny band then, and to one in particular who stood bravely out in front, and to his furious amber eyes. A cruel smile crossed her lips and she returned her eyes to Kagome, "or perhaps not as human as I first thought…that is even more fitting, for a filthy half breed such as yourself."

"You leave them out of this." Kagome said, her tone low and threatening as she moved into a crouch. "Who I choose to travel with is none of your business. What do you want here? Take care of it and go."

"That isn't very respectful of you, Kagome." Kikyou taunted, "What would Kaasan think if she heard you now? She would be disappointed in you…"

She'd hit a cord with her words, and it was clear by the way Kagome's fur bristled and her claws dug deep into the soil. "You shut up!" She snapped, "Kaasan is dead, she doesn't have anything to do with this either! Damn it, what in the hell are you doing here, anyway?"

Kikyou's face darkened and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she looked onto her prey, taking one threatening step toward her sister. "There is where you are wrong, little sister…" She replied coldly, "because Kaasan has everything to do with why I'm here…"

Kikyou moved so quickly then that no one could have even hoped to stop her had they had the time to think about doing so. Now she stood where her half demon sibling had been just moments ago, one arm raised high above her head and in her hand she grasped Kagome's neck in a painfully tight but not quite suffocating hold. Kagome released a surprised gasp, but it came out as more of a gurgle as she clawed at the thick armor that protected the older demon's wrists and squirmed to get free. All of her attempts were fruitless however and after only a moment more of struggling, snarling and clawing the half demon let her body go limp, satisfied with the ability to squeeze a few fingers under the powerful hand of the wolf demon in her efforts to protect her tender neck.

Her friends were not so easily satisfied however and Inuyasha leapt forward, one hand racing to his waist where he took Tetsusaiga's hilt in his hand, intent on helping to free his companion from her current bind. "Kagome!" He called to her, but his actions were halted by a tiny but powerful hand on his shoulder. He spun around to land Hoshi with his frustrated gaze. "Hoshi," He snapped at her, "what in the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Don't you dare get yourself involved in this, Inuyasha." Hoshi replied sternly, her tiny hand tightening on Inuyasha's shoulder with enough force to drag him back a handful of steps. The look on her face kept him from questioning her, at least for now. She was dead serious.

"What…what are you…?" Kagome gasped out, having resumed her struggles when Kikyou's long claws began to dig into her flesh painfully. "What could Kaasan possibly have to do with any of this?" The half demon choked, "She's dead. She's been dead for three years!"

Kikyou gave her captive a rough shake to effectively silence the confused jumble of words coming from her mouth before choosing to enlighten her little sister with the particular reasons behind her clearly unwelcome visit. "You will answer me this one question immediately and with only the most truth, is that understood?"

With a groan Kagome found that she had little choice but to comply with her older sibling's wishes, after all, whether or not she wanted to admit it she realized quite clearly that she was at Kikyou's mercy. If the older demon wanted to kill her right then there would be little chance that she or any of her friends, watching the battle play out carefully, would be able to do anything to stop her. Besides that, the feeling of the Kikyou's claws ripping into the sensitive flesh of her neck, as if reminding her of the ever present threat, was rather uncomfortable (as if the lack of air to her lungs wasn't enough).

'_What, all I have to do is answer her stupid question anyway, right?'_ she thought, managing a weak nod to show her understanding of her current predicament, and the potential answer for getting out of it. "F…fine…" Kagome gasped, "Ask your stupid question then…get it over with so we can be rid of you…"

Kikyou was not impressed by the way the younger half demon spoke, and she proved this as her hand tightened even more firmly then before around Kagome's neck, forcing Kagome to scramble once more to protect her threatened flesh. In retaliation the half demon managed a well-aimed kick to Kikyou's armored chest and clawed the offending hand in her efforts to squeeze her own fingers once more in between Kikyou's unforgiving digits and her own neck.

"Idiot," Kagome wheezed at her, "How will I answer you if you choke me to death?"

Kikyou didn't seem daunted by those words and maintained her grip as she spoke up. "I was told that you were the last one to speak with Kaasan before her death, is this information correct?"

Kagome thought about this for only a moment, after all she didn't have much time. "I…I would think that's right…she left our territory right after she met with me so…"

Kikyou's eyes narrowed slightly, but held no emotion. "So it was."

To Kagome's relief Kikyou finally loosened her grip, but her relief soon disappeared when, as if having only chosen to let the half demon catch her breath, Kikyou's hand returned it's fierce grip with twice the power, now threatening to break the bones in Kagome's hand which still remained as a shield. Kagome was back to fighting and kicking, desperately trying to get free before the very life was sucked from her.

"ah…uhh…" was all that she managed to choke out.

"I am not done speaking half breed." Kikyou replied coldly. "Who was it that Kaasan left to fight with? Who was the one that killed her?"

"Kikyou, stop this, you're going to kill her!" Hoshi cried when Kagome's attempts to come up with an acceptable answer for the older demon all ended in her gasping for breath as she struggled to breathe through her constricted airway. "How is she supposed to answer you that way?" The fairy asked desperately, "let her down before—"

"Calm yourself, Hoshi." Kikyou replied, "I'm only ensuring that she will not lie to me." With those words she released her tightened grip on her younger sister's neck, enough that Kagome could feed her starving lungs, but not enough to get free. "Answer me now, or I will choke the life out of you for good this time."

"I…" Kagome hesitated a moment to stare hatefully down into her sister's face. "I don't know who killed Kaasan."

"You don't know," Kikyou said evenly, "Is that your answer?"

Kagome nodded, as much as she could in her current situation. "Kaasan never told me anything, you should have known that."

"Then I have no use for you." Kikyou replied evenly and before the half demon could even protest the demon's hand had returned to crushing her younger sister's neck. "You will die."

"Wait—!" Hoshi cried again, but her next words died in her throat as she caught sight of Inuyasha charging past on her left, his oversized blade lifted high over his head as he raced towards the battling sisters. "Inuyasha, get back here!"

The swordsman completely ignored her and pushed forward courageously. He wasn't doing it out of stupidity. Considering what he'd already seen Kagome's half-sister manage to accomplish (with her superior strength and speed), and taking into account her overpowering aura, he knew he was no match for her. 'I'll be damned if I'm just going to stand on the sidelines and watch though, damn it!' He thought furiously as he approached.

"Let her go!" He demanded, now close enough to bring the Tetsusaiga down in between the two siblings, or at least that was his plan.

Kikyou spared him a glance before returning her attention to the struggling half demon above her, growing weaker by the second. "Take her," the wolf demon replied, carelessly lifting Kagome's nearly limp form upwards for a moment only to drag her body back down and into Inuyasha's forcefully. The two collided with a bruising force and crashed to the ground before sliding a good fifty feet back to where their stunned companions waited.

"Inuyasha-sama, Kagome-san!"

"Kagome…Inuyasha…are you…?" Hoshi asked, kneeling beside the shocked Kohaku to inspect the damage.

Kagome was the first to move, groaning as she rolled herself away from the man below her and only her back beside him, propping herself up on one elbow and leaning over him to suck oxygen back into her lungs. By the time she had finished feeding her starved organs Inuyasha was already sitting up beside her. She glared at him. "You…you idiot…" she huffed, "You could have been killed!"

"Is that what I get for saving your ass?" Inuyasha grouched, "You would have been dead if I hadn't stepped in!"

"I would have managed." Kagome replied stubbornly, reaching up a pair of fingers to probe gently at her neck wound. She winced at the pain that shot through her like a blazing fire, but ignored it in order to address Hoshi. "Heal him." Kagome demanded, "I can take of Kikyou…"

Hoshi made a face at this, glancing up and over the pair to spot the mentioned threat standing not too far away. For the moment she seemed to be deep in thought and the fairy was satisfied that she might just be able to take a moment to heal her friends before the battle resumed, instead of complying with Kagome's wishes however she reached out one delicate hand to brush aside the black mane of hair that covered Kagome's neck. "Kagome, your neck should be looked at…"

"It's fine." The half demon snapped, jabbing a finger at the man beside her. "He should be your main priority..."

"It's not fine." Inuyasha spoke up, "and besides that, I don't need to be healed." To prove this fact to the others, and perhaps to himself as well, he rolled his shoulders a handful of times and twisted back and forth, as if searching for weakness in his muscles due to his rough landing. "See?" He said, "It's nothing."

Kagome scoffed, "you would have broken bones for sure if it weren't for that—" her words died in her throat however, partially due to her own thought process catching up with her mouth and partially due to the meaningful look Hoshi shot in her direction.

"_That_?" Inuyasha asked, suddenly looking interested, "what were you getting at just now?"

"Never mind," Kagome answered, a bit too quickly to ease the swordsman's suspicions, but he didn't have time to question her again. Kikyou was headed in their direction and Kagome stood eagerly to go meet her, a fierce snarl rising in her throat as she did. "Kikyou," the half demon growled, "I told you, didn't I? I told you that they were not to get involved! You will pay for that!"

The older of the two demons seemed undaunted by the threat and only stood silently, waiting and watching for the perfect moment as her little sister approached. "You react without thinking, little sister," Kikyou said, reaching out her clawed hand to catch a startled Kagome by the front of her haori, only to throw her forcefully to the side. "That will be your downfall."

Trees crumpled under the force of Kagome's second landing, and this time it wasn't the hard ground that broke her fall, but the even harder surface of an old tree's trunk that refused to be uprooted. "Uh," Kagome managed as she sat up a minute later, clutching her right shoulder tightly, "it's…it's been dislocated…"

Pain was a familiar thing to her. She had endured many broken and dislocated bones in her lifetime and without hesitance she reached for her injured appendage and smoothly and effectively relocated it, biting down hard on the inside of her cheek to muffle the soft whimper that tried to escape her lips. With a deep breath the half demon lifted her head to peek back into the clearing that she had involuntarily left moments ago, only to find the familiar silhouette of her older sibling blocking her view.

"Shit!" she spat, and before the older demon could move in for another attack Kagome threw her uninjured arm out in front of herself, moving it in an arc across her body and creating a wall of blue flames that blew forward, completely enclosing Kikyou into a burning tornado. Kagome took that moment to scramble to her feet then and take off back towards the clearing, knowing she only had a matter of seconds to put as much distance in between herself and her sibling as possible.

As she ran Kagome could hear the threating rumble of the fire following her as Kikyou had managed to manipulate it into chasing after it's maker. She barely made it into the clearing, dropping to the ground to scoop up her scythe in one hand before turning to face the burning torpedo nipping at her heels. Kikyou was out front, looking a bit charred from the attack but no less threatening then before as she raised one clawed hand, her talons glowing with the heat that she fed them.

"You will die, half breed scum." Kikyou told her, and at the exact same second that Kikyou's white hot claws raked across Kagome's unprotected belly and chest, Kagome brought the white blade of her scythe down into the older demon's left shoulder. Blood spat from either wound covered the faces and clothes of both women as they exchanged challenging looks before parting.

Both landed on their feet approximately one hundred feet apart, but Kagome crumpled to her knees seconds later from the blood loss she had endured. While the wound she created with her scythe was no less deep then the injury from Kikyou's claws (in fact it was most likely deeper), Kikyou's talons had done more extensive damage, and the half demon found herself kneeling in a growing puddle of her own blood.

"Shit…" she moaned, bringing her free hand to her chest to feel the warm liquid that flowed freely from her body. Her vision was getting blurry. _'No…'_ she thought desperately, _'if I lose then the others might…'_

"Are you done so soon, little sister?" Kikyou's cool voice taunted her from a distance and she heard the heavy footsteps of the older demon as she approached. "It's a pity really; you aren't even worth killing…"

"Kikyou!" Inuyasha's confident voice howled above the roaring in her ears and the half demon turned worried eyes to see the swordsman standing nearby, Tetsusaiga drawn and ready to unleash it's powerful attack on the latest threat. "It's about time that you get a taste of my Kaze no Kizu!" He yelled towards her.

'_No, stupid…why isn't Hoshi stopping him?' _Kagome thought, now attempting to return to her feet, but she froze at the sound of Inuyasha's pained scream and returned shocked eyes to her human companions to see him clutching his arm tightly while his sword lay forgotten on the ground. _'What? He hasn't even attacked yet…' _her eyes snapped to Kikyou then and at the sight of her softly glowing blue eyes she understood, _'She's burning him!'_

"Claws of blood!" Kagome cried, leaping towards her sibling with one hand raised and releasing her attack onto the unsuspecting demon. Kikyou easily dodged the attack, but it was enough to distract her from Inuyasha.

"So you care more for the lives of your human friends then for your own?" Kikyou asked, easily landing a distance away. "You won't mind dyeing in front of them then, will you?"

Without further warning the full blooded wolf demon appeared directly in front of the startled Kagome, her own bloody claws raised and ready for her next attack. Kagome glared back into the cold eyes of her attacker stubbornly, _'if that's what it takes to protect them…'_ she thought, gasping at the terrible pain that she felt in belly and spitting out a mouthful of blood, _'I am not afraid to die for them.'_ With a moan of protest Kagome crumpled all the way down to the forest floor, her vision blurring slightly before she completely blacked out.

…

Hoshi watched, shocked into silence along with the others as Kikyou buried her arm into Kagome's belly and ripped it out the other side. "Kagome," she whispered as she watched the half demon crumple lifelessly to the forest floor. _'She's not dead, I know she's not dead.'_ Hoshi thought as she watched the older demon regard her defeated prey, _'even then, she's not lost so much blood since…'_

"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed beside her, clutching his injured arm. "Just what in the hell are we supposed to do now?"

"I can put up a barrier." Hoshi told him easily, "Kikyou won't – Hey!" She snapped, turning to face him as he stood and took off in the direction of the battlefield. "You idiot!"

"But we need to get Kagome-san out of there don't we?" Kohaku piped up, and the fairy watched shocked as he too took hold of his chain sickle and headed off after the swordsman.

"You are both such fools…" Hoshi hissed after them, taking flight and moving as quickly as she could to protect the two humans. Kikyou turned stony eyes on both men, arching one delicate black brow as they raced towards her.

"Neither of you are worth my time." She told them evenly and while moving with such speed that neither man would have even had time to register and attack, she landed hits on both of them.

Even with erecting her most powerful barrier and aiming it for them (because Hoshi knew she would not make it in time) the walls easily crumpled as Kikyou's fist met with painfully with Inuyasha's cheek, and then with Kohaku's belly. The force of the attack was enough to force both men to the ground, and the younger of the two cried out as the bones in his arm splintered from the impact.

"Kohaku!" Hoshi called to him, but she didn't make a move to approach him, instead she lifted her head to glare at the powerful demon in front of her. Her friends defeated and a sick feeling rising in her stomach (because they were all badly injured, and she didn't have the strength to protect them if Kikyou decided to attack again) she flew forwards through the air and approached Kikyou. She only hesitated a moment before she spoke up.

"Really, Kikyou, this is all for the answer to a simple question…?"

Kikyou turned to look at her, but didn't speak.

Hoshi bit her tongue. _'I apologize, Higurashi-sama, I don't have much choice.'_ She thought sadly, "I can give you the answers you need." She said, drifting off away from the clearing and out of the hearing distance of her friends. "Follow me…"

…

"_Kaasan…"_

"_Kagome…" a cool, feminine voice replied as the silhouette of a tall and undeniably beautiful woman turned to face her daughter. Thick black hair swept down her back and over her shoulders, reaching to the floor and trailing out behind her. Her pale blue eyes were wise with age, but cold and inhumane. Staring into her face was similar in relation to staring into the eyes of a stone statue. The soft material of her clothing that could barely be spotted underneath her silver armor and the black fur cape that she adorned was well made and was of a beautiful blue that matched her eyes. _

"_Kaa-san…" Kagome said again, and a hint of sadness was in her voice, "are you going now?" _

"_Don't make that face, Kagome." The woman replied coldly, "we've discussed this."_

"_But why can't I come with you?" the half demon protested, already knowing what was to come. "I could help you, I could…" _

"_It's dangerous, too dangerous for a half demon like yourself, you know better." _

_Kagome flinched. "I'm not…" _

"_Get stronger Kagome. I can't trust your elder sister to make the right choices as a leader; I can only rely on you. If I do not return I expect you to take over, but you must be someone powerful like Kikyou or you will be removed from your role easily." _

"_But Kaasan, I don't…" Kagome started, but then her words died in her throat as she realized that her mother had already disappeared into the chilly night air. "I don't want to take over for you…why can't you understand that?" _

…

"_Hey there cousin…" a familiar man's voice spoke, and Kagome turned to peek over her shoulder to confirm her suspicions. There only a handful of feet from her stood her cousin smiling sheepishly at her. _

"_Sorry," he said as he took a seat beside her, "I know you don't want to be bothered but…the pack is worried…" _

_He had thin silver hair pulled back in a loose ponytail that lay over his shoulders, but his hair was not silver due to his age, in fact he was three years younger than her. His hair was silver due to his demon blood. _'Half demon blood,'_ Kagome reminded herself, turning away from him to return her face to the comforting pillow of her arms. _'He's just like me.'_ Like her he had a tail and a pair of canine ears, although instead of sprouting from the top of his head they sat where normal, human ears would have been. _

_He had a thin and lanky build, and wore a haori jacket and pair of hakama that looked a bit rough around the edges. His jacket was a rather plain checkered pattern of blue and black, while his hakama were brown in color. He smiled at her then and reached over to touch her shoulder to regain her attention. When she looked up he was staring at her through concerned blue eyes. _

"_Are you still upset?" _

"_Get lost Kazou," she growled at him, only burying her face deeper into her arms, "I'm not in the mood." _

_Kazuo was undaunted by her threat and continued, "It's because of what your mother said isn't it?"_

_Kagome was silent._

_Kazuo sighed. "I understand you know…because we're both the same…so if you want to talk…" _

_With a frustrated sigh the female half demon fell back into the grass behind her, digging her claws into the innocent soil and ripping away at the grass below her fingers. "It's always the same with her," she moaned, "Get stronger, Kagome, she says, I need you to rule when I'm gone, she only thinks of herself, not what I want to do…" _

_Kagome found herself comforted by the way that Kazuo only sat quietly and listened while she continued ranting. "It's because I'll never be able to measure up to someone as powerful as Kikyou, because I'm only a _half_ demon…" she brought the heels of her hands up to press them against her closed eyelids in frustration. "I can never be strong enough for her. No matter how much I train…how strong I get…she'll never accept it…" _

_Silence passed between the two friends for a moment before Kazuo finally spoke up, reaching over to rest a hand on Kagome's arm. He waited patiently for the older half demon to peek up at him before offering her his most brilliant smile. "You know you'll always be strong enough for us, Kagome." He told her, "It doesn't matter what your mother thinks." _

…

"_Kagome-sama, I sincerely apologize for your loss…" An unfamiliar male's voice spoke to her and she turned to see an equally unfamiliar wolf demon staring down at her in disgust. His words had no meaning behind them, he wasn't really sorry, but it was the meaning behind them that made her stiffen. _

"_My…loss…" she started, dreading the worst. _

_A single nod was delivered before the demon continued, "Yes. We found the carcass in the East. You're mother has been killed." _

_Kagome found herself tongue tied for a moment as her mind ran over these words again and again. 'She's dead. Something killed her. This means…I'll have to…' She thought furiously, "Fine." Was all that the half demon managed, already turning away from the unfamiliar creature in front of her. "I…I need to go now." _

"_Kagome-sama, wait, please!" another unfamiliar voice hollered after her, "Kagome-sama!" _

'_What was she thinking?' Kagome thought as she let her instincts take over and ran as far and fast as she could. She needed to get away, far away. 'I can't be a leader for them!' _

…

It took a few moments for Kagome's eyes to adjust to the light surrounding her. All that was visible at first was different colors merging together in front of her, much too quickly for her liking. Stabbing pain coursed through her body, her skin, her muscles and even down to her bones. Managing a few shaky breathes out of her burning lungs she made her first attempt to sit up but only found herself quickly pushed back down by a firm hand on her shoulder. Her instincts told her to panic, and she did, squirming wildly against the pressure until a familiar voice caused her to stop.

"Idiot, be still. You'll only reopen your wounds if you keep that up…"

Blinking a few times the half demon managed to clear her vision enough that she could make out Inuyasha's silhouette seated beside her. "W…What?" she croaked at him, "What…are you…?"

His trademark scowl still crossed his face as he stared down at her, finally pulling his hand back from her shoulder when he realized that she was planning on staying put, at least for now. "Stupid." He snapped at her, "You're so reckless…"

Kagome managed a snort in response. "You say that…as if you aren't…"

Her eyes began to drift closed. The pain in her body was only a dull throb now, her mind was too unfocused and tired to bother with it. Then everything came flooding back to her and she found herself struggling to sit up once more, eyes wide and teeth bared.

"Damn it," she snarled at Inuyasha when he effectively managed to hold her down, "Let me go! Where's Kikyou?"

"She's not here!" He snapped at her, causing her to pause long enough to take this into consideration, looking up at him through masked, but curious blue eyes. Inuyasha sighed. "She's gone," he told her again, "after you passed out she spoke with Hoshi in private for a few minutes and then…"

Kagome took a moment to think through this information. Now that she knew her older sister was not within threatening distance of her companions she could relax, but only slightly. _'She left, but did she get what she wanted? If she didn't…she'll be back…'_ she thought wearily, _'Why was she looking for Kaasan's killer anyway? Does she plan to go and seek revenge after all this time?' _

She let out a hiss as her body took that precise moment to remind her of just how badly she had been beaten by Kikyou. _'She's always tough…but she really handed it to me this time…' _Kagome thought, reaching one hand up to press two fingers hesitantly against her neck. The pain there quickly reminded her of why it was so difficult to breath.

"You should get some rest," Inuyasha told her, his voice bringing her back to reality as he stood to leave, "There's not much else we can do anyway, Hoshi is still taking care of Kohaku's wounds…"

"Kohaku was injured?" Kagome asked, her attention snapping to him instantly. It was only then that she realized that Inuyasha had one arm in a sling and a bandage covering his left cheek. "That's right, your arm was too…" she said, feeling guilt settle in her stomach, "and the wound there on your cheek?"

"It's nothing to worry about." Inuyasha answered immediately, frowning when he caught the look of self-loathing and frustration that crossed her face. With a roll of his eyes he nudged her gently with one foot to catch her attention, "Hey," he said, "it's fine. I told you not to worry about it."

Kagome hardly looked like she was going to believe him, but nodded once in his direction to show that she had heard. After a moment's hesitation she spoke, "still…it's…it's because of me that you were injured so…I'm sorry…if I was stronger then—"

Inuyasha glared at her. "Bitch, what did I just say?"

"I heard you."

"If that's the case then you shouldn't make me repeat myself." Inuyasha replied flatly, crouching down and leaning over the half demon slightly to growl his next words in her face, "I said don't worry about it, I've had worse and so has Kohaku. Stop thinking that you have to keep all of your problems to yourself." He growled, "And get some rest, the last thing I need is to have you reopen any of those…" he gestured towards her chest and stood again, disappearing before Kagome could protest further.

Kagome watched him disappear through the door silently before turning on her side to face the wall, wincing slightly at the pain it brought. _'Idiot,'_ she thought, _'he's such an idiot…'_

…

"She's awake."

Hoshi turned from her work to smile weakly up at Inuyasha as he entered the room. "Good," she said, "Thanks for watching over her for me."

The swordsman only nodded, taking a seat beside her and staring into the sleeping face of his young friend. "How is he?"

"He'll be fine, just a little bit more and it will be completely healed. He's only sleeping now." She told him, "after that I'll take care of Kagome's injuries and we should be able to start moving again by tomorrow afternoon."

"Hoshi…" Inuyasha started, "what was it that you were talking about with Kikyou?" He frowned slightly when he saw the way the fairy stiffened beside him. "You know, don't you?" He asked, "Who it was that killed their mother? Did you tell her?"

"I told Kikyou." Hoshi told him after a moment's hesitation, "I don't know much but I do have his name," she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye then, hesitating once more before whispering it to him, "it is Naraku."

"Naraku?" he repeated, tasting the characters on his tongue. Then another thought came to him, "You haven't told Kagome?"

"Of course not!" Hoshi snapped, startling him. She spared him a glance before continuing, "Kagome's mother was a powerful, full-blooded wolf-demon like Kikyou, however…even someone strong like Kikyou has still to surpass her mother in strength." The fairy sighed, "If Kagome was to go after him then she would be killed for sure."

Inuyasha made a face at this, but he didn't have time to argue. Kohaku was waking up, and both of them welcomed him back to the conscious world with smiles and friendly greetings, helping him as he tried to sit up for the first time. It wasn't until much later that night that the three sat around the fire outside watching Shippou play nearby while they cooked their recently caught fish.

"How is Kagome-san holding up?" Kohaku asked, "she lost a lot of blood, didn't she? Will she really be able to move as soon as tomorrow afternoon…?"

"She'll be fine by then." Hoshi answered with a dismissive wave of her hand, "My healing abilities combined with her accelerated healing work together to make the process go much faster."

Both men nodded, and the group was silent as they each reached for one of the fish and took their first bite of the warm meat. It felt good to dig their teeth into something nutritious with all that stress that they had endured earlier in the day. The food disappeared quickly, leaving the four friends only surrounded by only the soft sounds of wildlife as they moved about in the night.

"Hoshi," Inuyasha's eerily quiet tone made all three of them jump, "is it really a good idea to keep such a thing from Kagome? She has a right to know…"

"Eh?" Shippou and Kohaku jumped into the conversation at the same time, glancing between their two friends curiously. "Tell her what?" Kohaku asked, "Is there something you're keeping from her, Hoshi-san?"

Inuyasha grunted, glancing at the two as if having forgotten they were even there before turning back to Hoshi. "The name of the one who killed her mother…Naraku…that's what you said, wasn't it?"

"You know?" Kohaku asked, the shock unhidden on his face. "And you aren't going to tell Kagome-san? Is that wise?"

Hoshi shook her head, "If Kagome knew, she would go off with just a name and try to find him. She's the type that's too hot headed to take her own safety into consideration anyway, I can't allow her to go off and chase this Naraku just to get killed as easily as her mother was." The fairy sighed before continuing, "After all, her mother asked me to keep this information from both sisters, too keep them safe, and I've already broken that promise once."

"Besides that…Kagome has duties, whether or not she wants to be responsible enough to take care of them is not the issue, they need to be fulfilled," Hoshi turned to look up at her companions then, her already present frown deepening at the startled expressions on their faces. What had surprised them she wasn't quite sure, however she did realize that it wasn't her, after all they weren't even looking at her, they were looking past her.

Curious and suddenly dreading the worst, Hoshi turned to glance over her shoulder at the rundown hut behind her where up until recently Kagome had been resting. Now the half demon stood in the doorway, not looking at any of them in particular but off into the distance. Her hand tightened slightly where it supported herself on the doorframe and a dark look crossed her face, "Naraku, huh?"

…

_AN: Alright, really, why didn't see that coming? My apologies for ending it on a cliffhanger, but I think it's more fun that way, don't you? I'm curious to know what you all think of the new Kikyou…It was kind of a pain in the butt coming up with clothes for her because she always wears the same damn thing in the anime and manga, she looks weird in anything else. I think I'm satisfied with her outfit though. :) _

_She does wear an awful lot of armor for someone so powerful though, doesn't she? Ah, ha, ha…well, so does Sesshy so there. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! _

_Anyway, interesting chapter, yeah? I had fun with it. Let me know what you think of it by leaving a review, as always, they help me stay motivated…not kidding, they do, so please tell me what you think. :3 _

_**Chapter 11 (The Hunter and the Hunted):**__ The group passes through a nearby village to restock on some supplies lost during battle. Upon hearing that they are traveling towards the southern kingdom to meet with Sesshoumaru, a young and talkative boy suggests that they meet up with "Miroku", who is also on his way there…but for what reasons is a mere human traveling there? _

_Toodles! – K _


	11. Chapter 11

_Alright, so it's been a long wait and the chapter is kind of short, but look, it's Miroku! :D I hope I didn't disappoint, I kind of got the he-must-be-perfect syndrome after all those wonderful reviews! Speaking of reviews, thank you so much for all the feedback, I loved reading all of your thoughts! :) _

_I would have made it longer but I thought it was a good place to end without packing too much into one chapter. _

_Anyway…here it is so enjoy! _

**Chapter 11: The Hunter and the Hunted **

Inuyasha grunted as he shifted the load over his horse's back. In their first two weeks of travel the group had been lucky enough to catch most of their food, especially thanks to the fast moving half wolf demon that seemed to enjoy nothing more than going for a hunt. Despite that they had run out of rice and bread, two things that were impossible to hunt for in any place other than a market.

'_There aren't any markets within the borders of the south so we'll have to stop soon.'_ Inuyasha thought, taking his horse's lead and returning him to the shade provided by a handful of trees near their current residence, reaching into the branches above his head to tie the equine until he was needed again.

With wounds mostly healed thanks to Hoshi's abilities the group was ready to get back out on the trail, or that's what they had finally decided after much persuasion from their disgruntled half demon partner. Only by way of compromise had the group finally agreed to move her, to Kagome's displeasure, on the back of one of their horses. Even Hoshi had agreed that the amount of blood lost was too much to chance the half demon moving on her own, and her powers could only heal so much.

Inuyasha paused in his work when he spotted Hoshi's familiar form descending the stairs from their little hut. "Hoshi," he started, finishing the knot quickly and moving towards her, "How are things? Is Kagome…?"

The fairy watched him approach with a frown, then sighed and bowed her head. "She's handling it better than I thought she would, and by that I mean she seems to be unaffected by the news. I really shouldn't be surprised…Kagome's mother had a bad habit of keeping things from her…we both knew that…" Hoshi continued, "I only wish she hadn't found out the way she did."

Inuyasha shrugged, "She'll forgive you, won't she?" he asked, "you two have been together for a while, you must have had problems like this before…"

Hoshi managed a weak smile at that. "Of course we have," she told him, "Anyway, she's stable enough to go now, I've done all I can for her today."

"Good." Inuyasha replied, ascending the stairs behind the fairy to retrieve the rest of their supplies, "Kohaku and Shippou went to scout out the area ahead, once they return we can go."

…

It was midday when the group finally left the trail behind and headed for the nearest market. The southern border was only a single day's walk from their current location, and if they didn't stop they would run out of food before they made it out on the other side. It wasn't that they were not able to catch food, in fact most of the meat, fruits and vegetables that they ate each day were caught or gathered from the areas in which they traveled, however rice and bread was something that they all enjoyed on a daily basis. Besides that, the market was a good place to restock on medical supplies and other items that were needed on the way.

The group paused atop the hill that sat on the market's horizon to take in their surroundings. Because of its location the market was crowded and men, women and children came from all walks of life to buy and sell here. Hundreds of booths and tables were set up in two rows on either side of a wide street, reaching across the flattened ground for at least a mile before disappearing into the distance. As for what was sold here, fresh meats, fruits, vegetables, rice and bread, weaponry, armor, clothing, children's toys, medical supplies and livestock were only brushing the surface as each team member raked their eyes across the merchandise, searching for their own desires. Even those who were only here to sell their talents had gathered near the market, dancing and singling or playing a musical instrument, some were also there to offer their service in repairing things such as clothing and carts.

Shippou, who had been seated behind Kohaku on one of the two horses as usual, leapt from the equines rump and landed neatly on the ground. "I can find some new toys here," he said gleefully, "Hoshi? You can find things too, can't you?"

The fairy raised a brow at the boy, but she was smiling. "Sure, let's hurry."

"Shouldn't we…stick together?" Kohaku asked, watching as Hoshi quickly took on her human disguise before the two friends scurry off and disappear into the heavy crowd.

"It's fine Kohaku." Inuyasha told him, "They can take care of themselves. We've got work to do."

Kagome looked more than annoyed as she slid from her mount and handed the reins roughly to Inuyasha. "I'll wait here." She told the two men roughly, "It's far too crowed down there for my liking."

"Kagome-san?" Kohaku asked, also sliding from his horse, "are you sure?"

The half demon gave the crowd a tired glance before turning away from her two companions and walking back into the forest. "I'll meet up with you again when you're done." She said, waving one hand over her shoulder as a goodbye before completely vanishing into the trees.

Inuyasha and Kohaku watched her go with expressions of confusion running across both of their faces. Only a moment passed before both exchanged looks, shrugged their shoulders and turned back to the market, descending the hill in front of them and merging into the crowd. It wasn't difficult for them to move through the crowd as most people knew to give them space. It was because of their weapons and clothing that they were recognized as warriors, those who were there to protect, and thus were highly respected among the people.

The first stop was to gather rice and a young boy with dark brown hair and inquisitive blue eyes watched them as they made their way towards his family's table. His parents and older siblings were nearby attending to other customers and filling large sacks with rice while he sat on the side lines ticking off numbers with an ink pen and parchment. It looked like a boring job. The boy glanced back and forth between his father, who hadn't noticed the newcomers and the duo before wandering off to grab a handful of the heavy grain sacks which were nearly as big as he was.

"My name is Koushiro," He started, placing the grain sacks on the table in front of them with a huff. "You need rice, don't you? I can help."

Inuyasha gave the younger boy an unimpressed scowl. "Brat, are you even allowed to be dealing with customers at your age?"

"Of course I am!" Koushiro said, puffing up his chest as if to make himself look bigger, "I've seen it done enough times that—"

"You aren't then…"

The young boy's face darkened with a blush and he spared a glance in his father's direction. The old man was too busy with a frustrated customer to bother paying attention to his youngest son. His three older brothers and mother were also busy doing their best to attend to the people's wishes in a timely manner. It would be quite a while before his father, or any of the others would be able to attend to the two travelers.

"Hey brat," Inuyasha barked at him then, "give us three bags, and don't screw it up."

A moment passed before young Koushiro registered what the swordsman in front of him was saying, but then his chest expanding once more with pride and with a smile wide enough to rip his face in two he snatched a bag from the table and moved to the nearest grain barrel. "I'll be right back!" he called over his shoulder, "you won't be disappointed, I promise!"

"Inuyasha-sama, is it really wise to let that boy handle things?" Kohaku asked meekly, "that is…he barely looks big enough to carry the grain sack without any rice in it…"

Inuyasha shrugged, "We're in a hurry." He reminded his friend as he turned to dig for money in his horse's saddle bag.

It wasn't long before the boy returned with the first sack filled and it took him a few moments to struggle to tie it closed before he left with the second sack, empty and dragging on the ground below his feet. By the time he had returned with the third sack filled he was huffing and puffing with the effort he made to carry it and he nearly tore the bag open as he plopped it roughly on the table in front of the two men.

"S-so…" he huffed, now working at the ties of the third bag, "Where…are you…headed?"

"We're headed south." Inuyasha replied evenly, then as an afterthought, "to meet with Sesshoumaru, the dog god that rules there."

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Koushiro asked, eyes wide as he peeked up at them, "Then you must be traveling with Miroku-san. He passed through here not that long ago, it shouldn't be too hard to catch him, especially with those horses. Miroku-san didn't have a horse with him, only a raccoon dog."

Inuyasha sighed as he laid a handful of coins out on the table. "We haven't heard of anyone that goes by that name," he replied, pushing the money out across the table and touching each coin with his pointer finger as he counted it out. "This should be enough."

Koushiro ignored the money and faced the two men with wide eyes and an open mouth. "Really? Are you sure?" He blushed and gathered the coins in both hands when he received a firm look from Inuyasha, "Sorry, I just thought because Miroku-san had similar clothing that you would be traveling with him." He nodded towards Kohaku then, "his armor was just like yours..."

"Eh?" Kohaku asked, mimicking the youngsters shocked expression from only a moment before. "You said he was wearing similar armor?"

Koushiro nodded eagerly. "Yeah, he looked just like you! The two of you could have been brothers!"

Kohaku's face fell, and then he returned to the act of stabilizing the heavy grain sacks on the back of his horse. "I wouldn't know him…even if he was…" he whispered, earning a questioning glance from the young boy and a sympathetic one from his older traveling companion.

Inuyasha remembered the day that Kohaku had shown up in their village, barely 11 years old and dressed in similar clothing to that of which he wore today. He only remembered his name, nothing else. _'Because he lost his memory, he doesn't even know his family, his home or even what part of Japan he came from.'_ Inuyasha reminded himself solemnly.

He then turned back to the blue eyed youngster waiting patiently with his change. _'Is it possible then that this _Miroku_ is a long lost relative or friend of Kohaku, or of Kohaku's family?'_ He mused, _'Could he have some insight to what happened that day?'_

Another thought came to him then and the man's already present frown deepened. It was very rare for a human to travel within the borders of the south, north, east or west for any reason, business or not. His village had struck up an agreement with the four gods long ago, before Inuyasha had been born, hell, before his father had been born, he only knew that it had been a difficult and potentially life threatening experience that had apparently been worthy of keeping the Shikon no Tama in safer hands.

There were no houses or villages within the borders of the four kingdoms. The only civilization there was demons and other powerful characters who didn't want to be bothered by human interference and were strong enough to keep their place within the borders. Because of this the chances of a human, or even a group of humans traveling past the borders and surviving without previous permission from the gods there was extremely unlikely. So it wasn't because many humans didn't try, it was more related to the percentage of fatalities.

Thankfully their little band of travelers had that permission, but Inuyasha had a sneaking suspicion that this man didn't, it was rarely passed out after all. _'So why is this idiot trying to travel through the borders to meet with Sesshoumaru? Does he have a death wish?'_

Curiosity now urged the swordsman to question the boy further, and he did so, "Hey brat, you said he was headed to meet with Sesshoumaru? Did he tell you why?"

"He spoke with my father, I only barely overheard what they were saying," Koushiro admitted with a frown, "He did mention a name though, what was it…Naraku I think…"

"N…Naraku…" Inuyasha choked out. To say he was in shock would have been an understatement. "Are you sure? Are you sure that was the name?"

Koushiro didn't seem to notice, and as he returned to his parchment to tick off a few more numbers he continued, 'Yeah, I'm sure. He said something about revenge." The boy's blue eyes turned to meet those of the two men now listening to his words intently, "Do you know what a demon hunter is? He said that too…that he was a hunter…"

Inuyasha nodded towards the boy. He knew what a demon hunter was. They were different from demon exterminators like himself in that they went after demons that were not necessarily a threatening. They killed demons for their armor, fur, feathers, bones and even for their meat. It was generally a good business in that they could also double as an exterminator, however exterminators rarely hunted.

"He was really good." Koushiro said, "He had a lot that he was selling on his way through the market."

Inuyasha gave another nod to the boy, scooping up his change from the table and hastily slipping the money back into his saddle bag. He sent a meaningful look in Kohaku's direction and, ignoring the disappointed shouts from Koushiro, both men disappeared back into the crowd to finish their shopping and get back on the trail.

…

"What's taking them so long…" Kagome griped, seated in the high branches of an oak tree that presented a good vantage point onto the market below. "Stupid idiots…"

The half demon idly scratched at her side and winced as pain ripped through her belly. Scowling she reached for the ties of her hakama, loosening the clothing enough that she could pull the fabric back and get a clear view of her bandaged wounds. _'It was really bad this time…'_ Kagome thought, now brushing her fingers gently against the bandaging. _'Kikyou's never been that determined to kill me before. She's always been holding back.'_

She glanced into the branches above her head then and remembered...

Her mother had always been much closer to her older daughter then to Kagome, before Kikyou left the two full blooded demons would often share peaceful moments together. Her mother told things to Kikyou that she wouldn't to Kagome, they hunted together, they ate together and they ruled together. The half demon still remembered how devastated her mother had been when her older daughter left, more devastated even then when her human mate, Kagome's father, had been killed by his own kind.

After that she had made it a point to remind her younger daughter that she was nothing but a filthy half breed. That the only reason she was still around was so that she could one day take over and rule in her mother's footsteps.

That she was a mistake.

Kagome slapped her cheeks a few times, closing her eyes to try and clear the painful memories from her head. _'I was too young to understand back then that it wasn't because they didn't love each other anymore…it was because of me that Kikyou left. It was because Kaasan wanted to keep me.'_

"Kagome!"

The half demon was jerked roughly from her thoughts just in time to catch an excited red headed child in her arms. She glared down at the boy, upside down in between her hands and grinning up at her. "You should have come, Kagome!" he told her, "there were all sorts of things to look at!"

"What's wrong with you, you stupid brat?" The half demon barked at him, "If I hadn't caught you you'd have broken something for sure. You're human, remember?"

The boy squirmed in Kagome's hold until her was upright and then pulled a toy snake from his haori to show her proudly. "I got this, isn't it shiny?" He asked before digging in his haori to show her the other toys he had bought.

"You're spoiling him." Kagome told her fairy companion when she flew up beside the two half demons.

"I did the same for you when you were a child." Hoshi reminded her with a smile, "Remember?"

"I've done enough of that for now." Kagome replied gruffly, earning a confused look from her fairy friend. "It's nothing important," she said, brushing off her friend's worry.

"Kagome?" Hoshi asked, "Are you still angry?"

"Angry?" Kagome asked, lifting confused blue eyes to meet with Hoshi's questioning gaze. "I was never angry." She pointed out, "Why would I be? Kaasan was good at hiding things from me, she hid everything from me, I figured you knew…"

Hoshi's smile returned quickly, and she reached out a hand to playfully bat at the half wolf demon's furry ears. "I should have known." She said with a laugh, "although you did have me worried there for a moment…"

"Cut that out!" Kagome snapped, swatting at her friend. She paused then when a familiar scent drifted through the air beside her and her gaze snapped to the ground. "They're back." She told the others, shifting Shippou under one arm and leaping to the ground to greet her male companions.

"You three…" Inuyasha started as he approached them, "There is…something we should discuss…"

…

A tiny squeak was heard briefly before the reptile in which it came from disappeared into a cloud of dust below the blunt end of a halberd. Holding the halberd in one hand was a young man, looking to be in his early twenties. He had cool brown eyes and a short head of black hair pulled back into a tiny ponytail which sat at the nape of his neck. His attire consisted of a sleeveless black haori made from the finest of cloths and a tight fitting pair of black pants made from a thick, leather-like material that was extremely indestructible if the shallow scars that littered the material's surface were any indication. His boots, which rose to mid-calf, were made from a similar material but much thicker and brown in color. To finish the outfit, protective guards that were purple in color covered his knees, elbows, lower arms and waist.

The halberd he held in his hand was not his only weapon. A long sword and another shorter one were both strapped to his left side, and on his right, beside a thick pouch were a handful of throwing knives. Out of all of his weapons the halberd was by far the most impressive however. It's staff was long and copper colored and it grew into three thick, golden blades which pointed upwards like the prongs on a fork. The middle blade reached much higher than the others and towards the end of the blade's length it twisted several times to create a much more dangerous strike.

He turned with a smile to face the old man seated beside him, who stared back at him with grateful eyes. "I give you my thanks young man," he said, making his first attempt to climb to his feet after the demon's attack. "I was sure that monster was going to be my end when he attacked. Is there anything…anything I can do…?"

"It's fine." The younger man replied, and his gentle smile and kind eyes assured the older man he was in good hands. "Have a seat and let me take a look at that wound of yours, it seems that the lizard has bitten you…"

"It…" the old man started, turning his gaze down to look at his right arm. The cloth had been torn and blood seeped from a bite wound there. "I…I never even noticed…" he said, taking a seat on the ground and watching as the young stranger pulled bandages from the pouch at his side. "Please son, can I have your name?"

The young man spared him a glance. "It's Miroku."

The old man bowed as low as he could given his current position, "I give you my thanks, Miroku-san." He said, "Because of you I will be able to return home safely and see my granddaughter at least once more…I've missed her so…"

"Your Granddaughter?" Miroku asked, curiously suddenly sparking in the depths of his otherwise cool and neutral gaze. "In that case, perhaps I should escort you home. I wouldn't want anything else to interrupt your journey home…"

"Yes, my sweet, sweet Granddaughter…" the older of the two men sighed, looking up to the heavens with a weary sigh. "She was once the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on, men came from miles around to marvel at her beauty and ask for her hand in marriage…"

Miroku blinked a few times, and then returned his gaze to the task at hand, his curiosity lost. "I see…"

"But then she got sick, " the old man continued, "She let herself go and grew much larger, her face became swollen and her eyes are weepy. I do love her though," he said, releasing another sigh, "perhaps if you came to visit she would cheer up and her beauty would return, what a splendid idea!"

"A…actually…" Miroku replied with a crooked grin, "I think I just remembered a previous engagement that I must attend to…"

"A previous engagement? That's too bad…"

"I certainly regret it."

…

"That's a stupid idea." Kagome grouched, her arms folded firmly across her chest as she sent the man beside her a dirty look, "Why would we want another person traveling with us? Especially a hunter…"

"Bitch!" Inuyasha snapped, "I never said we were going to take him with us, just try to talk to him, don't you want to find out more about this Naraku bastard? He killed your mother…"

Kagome wrinkled her brow. "Not really."

"He killed your mother." Inuyasha repeated evenly.

"So?"

Hoshi sighed as she watched her two friends continue bickering, exchanging a look with Kohaku who moseyed along beside her on the back of his horse. He looked equally unimpressed.

After regrouping Inuyasha had brought up the possibility of a demon hunter by the name of Miroku having more insight about Naraku, and perhaps knowing something about Kohaku's past as well. Of course Kagome had instantly balked at the idea of meeting with a demon hunter, and the two had been at each other's throats since before they had left the market. The fairy found herself marveling at the way the two of them could continue walking at a steady pace while shooting threats, insults and punches at the same time.

'_What am I thinking? This is ridiculous!'_ She thought with a roll of her eyes, bringing her gaze back to her bickering companions. She hesitated when she caught sight of the silhouette of a young man walking not too far ahead. The silhouette paused then and turned back towards the approaching group. _'What?'_ Hoshi thought, _'who is that?' _

"Aren't we supposed to be in a hurry?"

"Of course!"

"Then why are we playing around with rumors instead of doing what we were sent out to do?"

"We're still headed south, stupid!"

"Don't call me stupid!"

"Then don't act stupid, bitch!"

"Why you…" Kagome snarled, scorching the man beside her with a fiery glare. One clawed hand held tightly onto the cloth covering Inuyasha's shoulder, her other reaching up to remove the hand that clung to one of her sensitive ears. She opened her mouth to release another handful of insults that could easily challenge Inuyasha's colorful language, but a shout from behind her caused her to pause, and then she caught sight of the unfamiliar young man approaching them.

"Huh?" Inuyasha and Kagome said simultaneously as the stranger approached them. _'His clothing…'_ Inuyasha thought, eyes darkening slightly, _'it looks just like Kohaku's…is this…?' _

"You there!" The stranger shouted as he approached, reaching behind him to release his halberd from the securing straps on his back and shoulder. "Release that man immediately!"

"Huh?" Kagome repeated, though she obediently did as she was told and both Inuyasha and Kagome released their hold on each other. "You're talking to me?"

A smirk crossed the stranger's handsome face as he lifted his halberd and pointed the dangerously twisted tip of the middle blade directly at Kagome. "How dare you attack a human," He said, "For that I will be taking that black pelt of yours from you!"

Comical expressions of amusement and disbelief varied on the faces of the teammates, and then after only a short moment to register the stranger's words Inuyasha easily slipped in between his half demon partner and the twisted blade. "Listen…" he started, "She wasn't attacking me, we only had a disagreement…"

The newcomer lowered his weapon slightly, meeting eyes skeptically with the man who had defended the same demon that had only seconds ago attacked him. He seemed honest enough. "It's too bad, I was looking forward to selling that fur…" he said, earning a well-deserved glare from the demon still hiding behind Inuyasha. "You must admit that it is strange to see demons traveling along with humans peacefully unless they are slaves."

Inuyasha ignored his comments to deliver the question that hung unanswered in the back of his mind. "Are you the one called Miroku?"

The stranger raised an eyebrow at him, "That is my name." He replied calmly, "how is it that you heard of me?"

"Koushiro," Inuyasha replied, "he spotted you while you were buying rice from his father."

"Did he?" Miroku asked, raking his eyes across the mismatched group once before hesitantly returning his halberd to the straps on his shoulder and back. _'These people are unusual, that's for certain…but they feel safe. I can't feel even the smallest bit of darkness within their auras, not even in that demon.'_ his frown deepened then and he took another look, _'no…a half demon…'_

"Am I to assume that you have business with me then?" Miroku asked, and after receiving a confirming nod from the man in front of him, he gestured lightly to the trail ahead. "There is a stream not far from here where we can find lunch. Perhaps that would be a better place to talk."

Only moments later the group found themselves settled by a stream. The human's watched in amusement as Kagome made a short-lived attempt to teach the younger half demon the easiest way to catch fish before giving up completely and going about the job on her own. A raccoon dog, covered in brown and black fur and with inquisitive black eyes also tried to help but only ended up running from the leaping fish in fear. This was the pet that Miroku called Hachi, and despite the group's skepticism, Miroku assured them that he was indeed a demon.

"My name is Takahashi, Inuyasha." Inuyasha began finally, "I am the only son of Taisho, Takahashi…the future leader of the village that protects the Shikon no tama. We are traveling to meet with the four gods, the dog, the wolf, the tiger and the dragon…starting with Sesshoumaru, the dog god."

Miroku nodded, acknowledging the information, "I have heard of the jewel and it's powers. I have also heard of the journey." He told them, "But if it's all the same to you, I'm in a hurry—"

"To meet with Sesshourmaru." Inuyasha interrupted. It was more than a question, it was a fact.

Miroku nodded again. "This is information you got from Koushiro-san as well, is it not?"

"Yes." Inuyasha replied, "What I want to know is, why? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to travel within the borders alone, without permission? What business do you have there?"

"Who says I don't have permission?"

"Do you?"

Miroku sighed, "I do not."

"Then you will most likely be killed."

The man was silent for a moment, turning to watch the half demon, child and raccoon dog as they waded in from the water with their catch. His face darkened slightly, and he remained silent so long that for a while the group thought he wouldn't speak at all. They exchanged curious looks before they began eating their fish, warmed by Kagome's fire and laid over a mound of fresh white rice that Miroku had graciously provided for them.

"It's a long story." Miroku said finally, startling the team, "so long in fact that…" he sighed, "it began long before I was born."

The demon hunter glanced towards his newly acquired allies, who urged him to continue silently. "I was born into a village that hunted demons and other spiritual creatures for a living. They were established over one thousand years ago, but only in the last fifty years did they become well known across Japan as the dragon slayers. They got that name when they were hired to destroy the leader of the silver dragon clan and his large herd, and did so successfully after many attempts by others."

"The dragon slayers…" Inuyasha repeated, "I've heard of them. I remember hearing stories from Otoosan as a child…"

Miroku's face darkened slightly as he continued his story, "Recently my home was attacked." He told the group, "and as far as I know, I am the only survivor. I returned to find my village in ruins, everyone was dead, men, women and children…even our animals were killed, but none were eaten."

Inuyasha cut in again before the hunter could continue, jerking one thumb over his shoulder as he spoke. "Wait, Kohaku might be—"

"Inuyasha-sama, I don't think…" Kohaku started nervously, but he too was interrupted. It was Miroku this time, and the man leapt to his feet and walked across the rocky ground to crouch in front of the younger boy.

"Kohaku?" He asked, "Is that your name? I thought when I saw you…but then…how on earth did you survive?"

"So you do know him?" Inuyasha asked. "Kohaku lost his memory. He could only remember his name when he arrived in our village five years ago…"

"I do." Miroku replied, facing Kohaku with a serious look. "Kohaku, if you are who I think you are, we are brothers…"

"B…brothers?" Kohaku asked, not bothering to hide the shock that was evident on every inch of his face. "I have a brother?"

Miroku nodded, a gentle smile crossing his lips as he reached out to rest one hand on the boy's shoulder. "We lost you when you were only eleven years old. It was your first time fighting a demon, and they were winged monsters that made their nests on the side of a cliff." He grimaced then before continuing, "You were dropped over the side of the cliff by one of them…we searched for days…weeks…we were sure you had died."

They were silent then for a moment, each person lost in their own thoughts as digested this new information. Kohaku, the young boy without a single memory, only clothes and a broken weapon when he arrived in the village that protected the Shikon no tama years ago now had a brother. He now had a past.

"Miroku-san…" Kohaku started.

"I am your brother Kohaku, called me Oniisan…if you would…" Miroku said, his smile brightening and the pleased look on his long-lost sibling's face. He stood and took a few steps rearward to give the boy his space before settling back down on the rocks.

"Oniisan then…" Kohaku said, "Would you continue your story? I would…I would like to learn more of my old village and what became of them. The story is painful to listen to as now I know that I have no home to return to, however…"

"We have each other now Kohaku." Miroku said, still smiling, "That is more than what we had moments ago." His face darkened again as his thoughts returned to the painful memories of losing his home and his family. "The silver dragons that my people destroyed fifty years ago were well known as human killers. They had the power to possess their prey and create hallucinations, they had deadly poison running through their veins that seeped onto their thick skin and in addition they possessed the power to poison their victims by biting them. Of course all of this combined created a formidable enemy, but after months of battling, and casualties on both sides, we were able to destroy the leader known as Onigumo."

"We emerged victorious, however…" Miroku rubbed the back of his neck uneasily, "However I am sure it is a survivor of the silver dragon clan that led the recent attack on my people."

"How can you be so sure?" Inuyasha asked, setting his half empty bowl down on the rocks in front of him. Somehow he had managed to completely loose his appetite, and judging by the looks on the faces of his companions, he wasn't the only one, the only thing they were hungry for now was answers and he was no different.

"You weren't there at the time of the attack," The swordsman pointed out, "and if you truly are the only survivor, how would you know? Demon attacks aren't a rare occurrence after all…"

"It's true that I was not there at the time of the attack." Miroku said, confirming Inuyasha's suspicions, "However the mirror that we guarded in our village was stolen, and I can only think of one who would want to have it, for the mirror is the tool that Onigumo used to create hallucinations and possess his victims."

Miroku looked extremely stressed as he continued relaying his story to the eager group in front of him, "At the time of his death, we took different parts of Onigumo's body to use for our own purposes, just as we would with any other demon. His thick skin and his bones were used to create a set of armor, the thick armor plating on his head and back was made into a shield and his sharp fangs were used to create twin swords that could easily kill thousands with the poison embedded in the blade. Finally we used his blood to create a bond between the three treasures, so that they could work together in a battle…but…"

"But?" Inuyasha asked, looking as impatient as the rest of them.

"But we found these weapons to be too powerful for a mere human to handle, and so we decided to separate the treasures and spread them across the land so that no one could find them and know the horrible power that they held." Miroku turned to look at Inuyasha then, "as you know, the Shikon no tama is extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. It can grant horrible wishes, and give power unimaginable to the most evil of people."

Inuyasha nodded in agreement.

"The three treasures are not unlike the jewel in that they too can give power beyond our comprehension to anyone who collects them." Miroku said, "because of this, we have given them to the gods to protect. the south, home of the dog god, has the sword…the northern wolves have the armor…and the west, home to the tigers, guards the shield. My village kept the mirror, and vowed to keep it safe."

"I believe that the one who stole the mirror will be after the three treasures next…" Miroku said solemnly, "and if he is to succeed in taking them…combined with the mirror, those four items will be able to resurrect Onigumo."

"I wouldn't be too worried."

The group's attention suddenly turned to Kagome, who had been silent up until this time. She smirked at them, "The god's are powerful themselves, and they each have an army ready and willing to destroy any potential threat. There's no way a single dragon will get past them."

"What is your name, half demon?" Miroku asked after a moment of silence, not looking at all impressed by her unconcerned persona.

"Kagome." She replied flatly, not looking any more impressed with him then he was with her.

"Have you ever fought a dragon yourself, Kagome?" Miroku asked, challenging her, "a half demon like you wouldn't understand that kind of power, not to mention the heightened abilities of hallucinations and possession that this monster has when he holds the mirror. If he is able to successfully awaken Onigumo then we will be doomed for sure."

Kagome only snarled at him, "Watch it, human…" she barked at him.

"Uh…Miroku-san…" Hoshi started, setting a hand on her friend's shoulder in order to calm her. It didn't work. "Do you even know who it is who stole the mirror? What was his name?"

"I am sure it is the younger brother of Onigumo who stole the mirror from us." Miroku said, "I was told by my people that he disappeared before the lengthy battle began. He most likely fled, and I'm sure he is still alive…waiting for the right moment to reveal himself." The hunter said, his face darkening further then before and his hand gripping his bowl so tightly that the material nearly cracked beneath the pressure. "Naraku. That is his name."

…

It wasn't until later that afternoon when the group had finally finished their questioning session that Inuyasha allowed them to disperse and take a while to clear their heads. The information that Miroku had provided affected everyone, and all of them were secretly worried over Naraku's next move, whether or not they were willing to admit it…

"He killed your mother, Kagome!" Hoshi snapped, "Does that give you an idea about how much power this monster has? He could easily steal one or all of the treasures if the gods were to let down their guard for only one minute…what of the north? Are you just going to leave them alone to defend themselves?"

"Stop worrying…" the half demon replied. "And keep it down," she told the fairy, glancing over the side of the tree branch that she currently rested on, "they'll hear you…"

"Well they're going to find out sooner or later, aren't they?" Hoshi asked, but brought her words down to a whisper despite herself, "if we keep traveling with them, even if we don't…"

Kagome nodded, "but for now they don't need to know."

"Either way," Hoshi said, "Don't try changing the subject on me! This is important!"

"Kikyou can find him. She's got a good nose."

"Kikyou will die."

"How is that my problem?"

Hoshi sighed. "If you were a responsible daughter to Higurashi-sama, you would be packing your bags and heading north to help defend the land there, and the armor created with Onigumo's body. They won't have a chance of protecting it without a leader."

"Koga's there, Ayame too."

"You know as well as I do that he doesn't have even half the power that you do, not really. He's got royal blood, that's true, but he's never beaten you in a fair fight. He cheated that one time, because it was the full moon…" the fairy met Kagome's furious stare with a sympathetic one of her own and rested a gentle hand on her knee. "His leadership skills are pretty poor too."

"This conversation is over."

"Kagome…"

"Over."

"Hey," Inuyasha voice drifted up to the two friends, "We're leaving soon." He told them, then as an afterthought he added, "Miroku is coming with us too."

Seconds later Kagome landed neatly beside him, a disapproving growl rising in her throat. "What…what did you just say?"

"What?" the swordsman asked innocently, "you dislike him or something? He'll be able to help us with his fighting skills and his knowledge of Naraku, and besides that, he's headed in the right direction."

"Kagome-san…"

Hoshi, Kagome and Inuyasha all turned to face the demon hunter as he approached them, his hands raised to in an attempt to prove that he meant no harm. No one noticed the mischievous spark in his warm, brown gaze. "I'm afraid we didn't get off to a good start," he said as he drew closer, "but seeing as how we'll be traveling together, as least for a short while…I'd like to be friends…"

Kagome continued growling, watching carefully as he rested one hand on her shoulder, and the other on her breast. "You…" she started, her eyes narrowing, "you…"

"You'd make a marvelous bride if it weren't for your half demon blood, but perhaps we could work something out," he said, squeezing slightly, "How would you like to bear my chi—"

The next thing the man knew we lay on his back, staring up into the furious blue gaze of the half demon. He felt sweat collecting on his face and the back of his neck, although he wasn't sure if it was from his sudden fear or the sudden change in the temperature around him. The demon hunter grinned.

"What a temper you have, I have hardly even touched you yet!" Miroku called to her, he quieted however when he caught the look of fury on her face.

Kagome towered over him, her face contorted into one of unveiled hatred, and her eyes nearly glowing with the soft icy blue color that they had turned to. Her lips were pulled back to reveal long, sharp fangs and her clawed hands flexed dangerously. She snarled furiously at him, "How dare you…!"

The group was shocked to say the least, but little Shippou was the only one who hadn't seen what Miroku had done and reached up to tug at the half demon's pant leg bravely. "Kagome…did he do something wrong?"

Kagome returned to the world around her with a jerk, as if a bucket of cold, icy water had been suddenly dumped over her head. In seconds her expression turned from one of rage to one of utter confusion. "Huh?" she asked, glancing down at the wide eyed child beside her, and then turning to face her startled companions. "What…?"

She hesitated a moment when she caught sight of Miroku laying beneath her like her prey waiting to be devoured. Then she spotted the bruise on his left cheek and on his right arm, peeking out from under his sleeve. _'Did I punch him?' _she asked herself, taking a handful of steps back to distance herself from the group. _'What did I do? He touched me, and then I don't remember…' _

"Kagome…you ok?" Hoshi asked, offering her friend a weak smile.

"Kagome-san?" Kohaku asked, now kneeling behind his older sibling and looking up at her. He looked hurt and confused and even worse, scared. So did everyone else.

"Um…I…I should go…" Kagome said, and before anyone could protest she was gone.

…

AN: OMG, NARAKU'S A DRAGON? DUUUUDE! THAT'S ONLY LIKE THE MOST POWERFUL THING EVER, RIGHT? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

…..

Yeah, I dunno…..

Moving on, who else besides me thinks Miroku is freaking AWESOME? His halberd is super AWESOME too…but I'm not telling you about that yet, you'll just have to wait. :D

Anyway, leave me a review and let me know what you think, ok? I love reviews! :D

IMPORTANT PART

Demon exterminator: someone who is brought in to remove and kill a demon, spirit or otherwise harmful creature from someone's home that already exists.

Demon hunter: someone who hunts demons, uses their bodies for different purposes and usually sells such things as food, armor, weaponry, jewelry or clothing made from the demons that they kill. They may also do exterminations of existing demons.

**Chapter 12 (dark past):** Who loves IYxKag fluffy moments? I do! I do! In this chapter get ready for some serious fuzz between those two…among other things.

Toodles! – K


	12. Chapter 12

_Soooo, umm…yeah, I haven't updated in a really long time, sorry about that folks, but it's probably not going to get any better. Starting in January I will be back to taking classes (majoring in psychology!) and that combined with my two jobs and 3 horses will leave me little to no time to work on rewritten. I'm hoping to at least get to the 15 chapter mark before January though. Now on to the important stuff, like this important reminder here: ….._

_**IMPORTANT REMINDER READ THIS: **__this story is rated M, not just for the contents of this chapter, but I felt the need to remind you all, and warn you in case anyone has any trouble reading the following: this particular chapter is rated M for __implied__ sexual situations and rape. It's really not that bad in my opinion but the warning is there anyway, so no tomato throwing, please. :) I hope you enjoy my next chapter, the only part that includes implied sexual situations/rape is within Kagome's flashback, so if you don't like it, don't read it. You have been warned. _

**Chapter 12: Dark Past **

"You said…" Inuyasha started, the open palm of his right hand pressed firmly against his face in frustration in disbelief. "You're asking every woman you come across to…to…to…"

"Bear me a child." Miroku supplied helpfully.

Inuyasha dragged his hand across his face in a painfully slow motion to reveal an angry scowl. "Why?" he asked, trying to maintain his patience with the demon hunter before him.

"To ensure that Naraku will be defeated, if not by me, then by one of my future sons or daughters," Miroku told him, then with a sigh he added, "I'm not just asking any woman, the ugly, the weak and the sick are not worth my time. I need to do my best to make sure my child, when he arrives, is handsome, strong, healthy and intelligent, capable of defeating such a monster as Naraku. I can only do such by picking the perfect woman to mate with."

"Then why did you ask Kagome to—?" Inuyasha started, but the rest of his words were silenced by a tiny yet firm hand slapping itself over his mouth. He turned his scowl on Hoshi, batting her hand away but remaining silent.

"Idiot." Hoshi said with a roll of her eyes, she didn't bother to look at him though; her attention was on the demon hunter in front of her. "Miroku, touching a woman…any woman, in the way you touched Kagome is bound to get you a negative response to your question. Maybe you should…umm…change your plan?"

Miroku returned the fairy's disapproving look with a smile. "It's a curse, my father had it too, and his father…when I see such beauty I cannot control myself, I must touch it. I would have done the same with yourself although you're a bit small for me, but if you want I suppose we could give it a shot?"

"Spare me you perverted fool." Hoshi replied, folding her arms and floating to the ground, taking care to make sure she was out of his arm's reach. "What about your future son or daughter? Is the defeat of Naraku really something you want to place on the back of a youngster? Assuming of course that you are ever able to find a woman willing to meet your request…"

"You make it sound as if my request is completely unthinkable. I have found a few women that were willing…although…a little young at the time…"

Hoshi deadpanned. "Answer the question."

Miroku sighed, "The same burden was set upon my shoulders when I was only a young boy. On his deathbed my father told me that if anyone were to ever bring Onigumo back to world of the living it would be my duty as the oldest son to lead my people into battle and if we should fail I would be responsible for bringing along the next generation. Of course, after a good drink of sake he went on to live for another three years, but I took my responsibilities to heart."

"What of Kohaku then?" Inuyasha asked, "Does he not share the same responsibilities as you?"

Miroku paused before turning to Kohaku and offering him a warm smile. "Kohaku, my brother, I do not expect you to take on the same duty as I have. We may be related by blood, but when father did pass away he, along with the rest of our family, believed you to be dead. In addition to that you no longer have your memories. I would not ask you to risk your life to protect the honor of a family that you no longer remember…"

"I understand Miroku-san…Oniisan…" Kohaku started, his voice somewhat uneasy and his shoulders tight, "But…the truth is…I may have no memories left to remind me of them, but they are still my family and my blood, so…so I will do whatever I can to help you defeat this monster." He sighed then and bowed his head, "I only wish that I could see them again..."

Miroku's smile deepened and he rested a comforting hand on his younger brother's tense right shoulder. "At least we have each other. I am so glad to have you back, Kohaku…" his face darkened slightly then as he imagined his younger brother who had, as far as he was concerned, rose from the grave just hours earlier, joining him on the battle field with Naraku. "I appreciate your willingness to help. You must have been raised by someone very wise and respectable for them to have taught you that."

"We'll all help you."

The demon hunter's face quickly changed to one of shock, his eyes snapping up to meet Inuyasha's determined gaze. "W…what?" he asked, startled by the swordsman's offer.

"We will?" Shippou asked, his own eyes filled with terror.

"Not you, Shippou-chan." Hoshi told the boy, ruffling his unruly red hair. "But…what about the journey?" she asked, now turning curiously to Inuyasha. "You wouldn't just abandon your own people to help these two brothers, would you?"

"Of course not!" Inuyasha snapped, offended by even the suggestion of such a thing. "We'll still continue on the way we planned." He continued, "But if Miroku is headed in that direction to begin with, to warn the four gods, then we might as well have an extra hand and skilled fighter with us, besides that we can take him past the border to do his job, alone he'd only be killed."

Miroku looked only slightly offended by Inuyasha's lack of belief in his power. "While I appreciate your offer…" he started, "This battle will be one filled with death and serious injury, is that really something you want to get involved with for the sake of a complete stranger and convenient situation?"

"It's not just that," Inuyasha pointed out, "It seems this Naraku is responsible for the death of Kagome's mother, and so Hoshi and Kagome both have problems with this monster, is that right?" He asked, turning to spare a glance in the fairy's direction and continuing after receiving an affirmative nod. "Besides that, the gods have given my village protection for such a long time, it wouldn't be right not to warn them and assist them in the protection of these treasures. I'm sure Myoga-sensei and Otoosan wouldn't agree to anything less."

"And would it not also lead to the compromised safety of your Shikon no Tama?" Miroku inquired.

"It would." Inuyasha said, "Without the protection of the four gods my people would not be prepared to go into battle with the powerful demons that would no doubt start showing up, and if the jewel were to fall into the wrong hands my people would be devastated…Japan would be devastated."

Miroku took a moment then to look at each one of his new companions. The brave and arrogant swordsman, there was no doubt he had power, to how much Miroku wasn't sure, but the look in his eyes said "I will die for the sake of my family and friends", and that was enough. Kohaku, his brother, who he had only just been reunited with and now may have ripped away from him in just a few short days. Whatever became of the soon to be war, he knew he would be proud to call the boy "brother". His adoptive family had clearly raised him to be a good man.

The demon hunter then turned to the smaller members of the group, Hoshi and Shippou, a fairy and a human child. How they had become involved in this he had no idea, but it was not his place to question them when they welcomed him into their group with open arms.

"It's agreed then," he announced, returning his gaze to the designated leader. "We are in this together, until the end. I have no doubt that the clash with Naraku will be nothing short of a war, and will be devastating to all involved in one way or another. Do you realize what power a dragon demon such as Naraku possesses? He was able to kill my family, all skilled in the art of demon hunting…it has even been rumored that he was responsible for the death of a god…"

Silence surrounded them for a moment, only broken by Shippou's chattering teeth and whimpers as he clung to Inuyasha's arm, hoping to change his mind, Inuyasha would not be so easily persuaded however.

"A god?" Kohaku asked, suddenly feeling numb at the new information. "You didn't say that before…"

Miroku landed his sibling with a firm look. "This monster is powerful Kohaku, and possesses the ability to take control of one's mind…if the mind is weak it would be easy…" he continued, "I would not think anything differently of you if you backed out now. I would rather have you safe."

"Shut up." Inuyasha snapped, catching the group's attention. "We didn't come on this journey to be scared away so easily. Even if we don't face Naraku, facing the powerful demons inside the barrier tomorrow will be difficult…" he turned to look at Kohaku then, "You chose this path when you agreed to go on this journey. You knew then that you might not come back."

"Inuyasha, wait a moment here…" Miroku started, but he was again interrupted, this time by Kohaku.

"No." Kohaku said, bowing his head slightly, "I mean…I'm scared, but…I was scared before I came on this journey too, you know?" he lifted his gaze bravely to face the older men before him. "It was the right thing to do to come on journey, to protect my people. I know it is the right thing to stand up against Naraku too, to protect the honor of my family."

Miroku looked back at him proudly, but his face was tired. "I respect your decision, Kohaku," he said, "I only wish I'd known you were still alive sooner…"

"You make it sound like we're going to war tomorrow." Inuyasha told him bluntly, "You haven't even met this Naraku character yourself have you? And where did you hear that he destroyed a god? How do you know it's not just a rumor?"

"It was from a reliable source." The demon hunter replied evenly, sending a not-so-pleased look in the swordsman's direction. _'Rude too,'_ he thought, _'Arrogant and rude.' _

"It's true." Hoshi said, before Inuyasha could come up with another rude response. "I was told that it was the wolf god of the north." She caught Inuyasha's stare and frowned, "I _am_ a reliable source." She pointed out.

Inuyasha scoffed, but didn't bother battling with her.

The highly respected and praised gods of the north, south, east and west were truthfully only demons themselves, but they were demons of a very high caliber and extremely powerful. They were ranked above even the most deadly demons out there, and bowed down to by not only humans, but fellow demons. If he were to take the strongest demon he had ever faced for example, a god could probably crush it under their thumb with ease. It wasn't as if Inuyasha hadn't faced many demons in the time he spent protecting the Shikon no Tama, he had plenty of broken bones, scars and bruises to show for it, but he couldn't imagine standing up against a god, it certainly wouldn't be anything like what he had experienced before.

"The gods hold a power unlike anything any of us have probably seen before," Inuyasha reminded them, "to say that a demon, any demon…even a dragon, can take down one of the gods would suggest a ridiculously high amount of strength and skill."

"That's what I'm suggesting." Miroku pointed out. "And do remember that Naraku has the power to create hallucinations, possess his enemy and in addition to that he has venom running through his veins that could undoubtedly melt through a bone in a matter of minutes. Even for a god he is a force to be reckoned with."

"How did your people manage to defeat him in the first place then?" Inuyasha barked, "Didn't you say it was Onigumo? And if he was stronger than Naraku…"

"It was." Miroku continued on, "and I was not there, I have no idea how they managed to defeat such a powerful beast, I've only heard stories…that it took months and there were casualties on each side and enough blood to create a sea…"

"Don't forget that this is why I'm asking for the god's assistance in the first place." Miroku told them, "The five of us together, even with Kagome, would not be able to defeat Naraku. If the gods are willing to supply us with an army of their most powerful warriors then we'll have a chance, and with their knowledge of Naraku's plan they will do better in protecting the treasures and preventing the return of Onigumo."

Again the five of them lapsed into silence, all of them imagining what the battles outcome could be, their fears and uncertainties rose to the surface easily.

"We will defeat him."

They turned to see Inuyasha already standing on brushing himself off. He glared at them, taking in the pathetic, worried looks on their faces. "My father did not raise me to be a coward or a weakling. With our combined forces, and the power of the three remaining gods I have no doubt that we can win. He defeated your people," he said, nodding in Miroku's direction, "he may have killed the god of the north, but so what? Is that enough to scare you away? Is he succeeds he could destroy all of Japan!"

"I will not stray from my beliefs." Miroku said, "I will defend the honor of my family, even if I die doing so."

"I'm behind Oniisan," Kohaku said, "I will defend the honor of my family, even if I no longer remember them. It is the right thing to do."

Hoshi spared a glance at the two hunters beside her, than glanced at Inuyasha above her. "Well, Kagome got herself dragged into this mess so I suppose I have no choice." She said with a grin, "As long as Kagome continues traveling with you, so will I. I'm in."

"I'll…I'll help too…" Shippou whimpered next, but his face turned red when the only response his companions offered was their disbelieving laughter. "What?" he snapped, suddenly offended, "I can do something!"

"When the time comes, Shippou-chan…" Hoshi said with a smile, "You can stay somewhere safe and take care of the wounded."

"Good." Inuyasha said, his gaze no traveling to the sky. "We should get moving while the sun is still up, we can still get a few miles before darkness falls." He continued, and then pulled a face as realization hit him, "I'll go get Kagome."

…

_It was raining._

_Not hard, but enough to be an extra frustration to the young girl sitting alone beneath the branches of a leafless tree. It was late in the year, and the cold breeze in combination with the rain that fell relentlessly upon her was enough to make her shiver. Her current hideout did nothing to protect her from the elements, but that fact alone was far from enough to make her return to her pack mates, miles away from there, for shelter._

"_Stupid moon…" Kagome growled, scowling past the branches to narrow her eyes on the subject of her frustration. The full moon stared back at her innocently, slightly hidden by the plump rain clouds and completely surrounded by a hundred twinkling stars. _

_On any other night it would have been a beautiful sight, however on this particular night, the night of the full moon, Kagome's demon blood had receded and left her in the weak and defenseless body of a mere human girl._

_On any other night Kagome wouldn't have been bothered by the pouring rain or the cold autumn breeze. On any other night she would have been warmed by her demon blood alone, and not been curled beneath a tree, desperately seeking the shelter that wasn't there. _

_Then again, on any other night she wouldn't have left her pack and traveled miles through the forest to escape their hateful gazes, cruel words and most importantly, Koga, the oldest son of the alpha male._

_Kagome cringed as the wind blew against her, chilling her through the thin, wet material of her clothes, and with the wind came memories of the last full moon that made her cringe further. "Koga…you coward…" she growled, burying her face in her knees, damp from the cold rain and the tears that left hot streaks on her cheeks. _

"_You coward…" she whispered, her words muffled by the cloth beneath her lips, not that there was anyone nearby to hear her, and for that she was glad. Her pathetic, wet and shivering form and the tears that stained her cheeks would be more than enough reason for her pack mates to tease her, not that they ever seemed to need a reason in the first place. _

"_Don't think about it…" Kagome told herself, pressing her hands firmly to her face and curling further in on herself. "Don't think about it…I don't want to remember…" _

_Her mind didn't listen however and instead of forgetting, Kagome's mind's eye presented her with an unwelcome recap of what had happened the month before in a vision only she could see on the backs of her eyelids. She remembered the way Koga and his younger brothers, Ginta and Hakkaku, had come after her. First they chased her from the protection of the cave, and then they had continued after her, their sharp teeth snapping at her heels until her weak, human legs collapsed beneath her and she could no longer run. She'd hoped that was it, that they only wanted a good chase and then they would leave her alone. _

_She was wrong. _

_Next they beat her, their firm, closed fists leaving dark purple bruises on her human flesh until the only thing she had left to do was cry and beg for their mercy. They had stopped, but what they did next was far worse than any beating she could ever imagine. _

_Koga kissed her, and then with his brother's help he held her down, removed her torn and bloody clothes and had touched her in ways she never wanted to be touched again. He used her body to pleasure himself, and then offered her up like an old, used toy for his younger brothers to play with, and they had taken their turns. _

_Before they left her, hurt, scared, naked and bleeding on the forest floor Koga had knelt down beside her shaking form and whispered in her ear. He dared her to tell anyone. He dared her to even think of speaking of it again, and if she did he would make it even worse the next time, and of course she didn't. _

_It wasn't as if the pack would have helped her. _

_It wasn't as if her mother would comfort her. _

_So instead she kept her mouth shut and promised herself that it would never happen again. _

_That's why she now sat alone in the woods, far from her pack and her cave, wet, cold and defenseless against any demon that might consider her a tasty treat, not to mention the weather. She couldn't tell her pack, they'd only laugh at her and taunt her the way they always did when her mother wasn't around. She couldn't tell her mother either, what would she do? Scold her daughter for being weak? _

_She could however pretend it had never happened, travel miles from her pack in hopes that she would survive the night alone and return the next day and avoid Koga and his brothers at all costs, and that's what she did. _

_Kagome finally lifted her face from her knees and peeked up at the sky once more. The clouds had dissipated some, and the rain had turned to a barely noticeable drizzle but the night was far from over. She opened her clenched fists and stared, unbothered by the eight crescent shaped scars that stared back at her. She wiped the blood off on her wet clothes and returned her gaze to the full moon. _

"_I'm the coward…" she told herself in a quiet voice, "hiding like this…" _

"_Kagome, Kagome, Kagome…" _

_She flinched, and her eyes lowered and narrowed on the wolf prince standing not twenty feet from her. 'Damn this human body to hell,' she thought as she watched him step out of the shadows, 'I can't hear or smell anything…' _

"_Did you really think you could escape me?"_

"_What do you want, Koga?" she asked bravely, "I did as you asked, I haven't told anyone…" _

_A grin crossed the young wolf's lips and he taunted her, "Who said I'd leave you alone if you didn't tell anyone?" He said, "I only said it would be much worse if you did…besides, last time was kind of fun, don't you think?" _

_Kagome shrunk back against the trunk behind her, bravery suddenly gone. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, dread filling her eyes as he crept even closer, "I never did anything to you…" _

_Koga was only a handful of years older than her, but much taller, he towered over her easily. He was clothed in a heavy set of silver armor and the brown furs of his own father's pelt. His eyes were a clear blue, just like hers, and he had a long brown tail that matched his armor in color. Ever since Kagome had known him he'd enjoyed taunting her and teasing her, however he had never laid a hand on her, aside from in their regular matches, until last month. _

"_You mean you don't remember?" Koga sneered, looking insulted suddenly. "You humiliated me, in front of the whole pack no less, you bitch! Even my father saw!" _

_Now Kagome was confused, and for a split second all of her fears receded as she tried to think back to a time that she had done something as horrible as the older wolf suggested. "What?" she asked, "I don't understand…" _

_He glared down at her. "Don't you remember our last match, mutt?" _

_Kagome remembered. She remembered just how embarrassed and furious he had been when she was declared the winner of their latest fight. It was the first time she'd ever been able to defeat him, and the whole pack had been watching. She was praised by her mother, one of few praises that she had ever received from the stoic wolf demon, and Koga had been laughed at and teased by everyone else for being beaten by the half breed. _

_The look he had sent her through the crowd that day had been one that promised next time would be different; it was full of hate, disgust and self-loathing. When the full moon came several nights later and he attacked, she had never put the two together, she had been too busy drowning in her own fear to worry about the "why" factor. She couldn't blame him for being angry, after all, strength and confidence were respectable traits in any wolf pack, and Koga had lost both that day in the eyes of himself and his pack mates. But to attack her on the night of her weakness only proved he was a coward, and did not deserve the strength or confidence that he had once been perceived to have. _

"_It was because I beat you…" Kagome said, understanding crossing her face suddenly, but then her cruel reality kicked back in and she scrambled to her feet, her back pressed firmly against the trunk behind her. "But…you…you…" _

"_I'll kill you this time." Koga snapped, stepping even closer and bearing down on her with a snarl. "But I might take pity on you…you pathetic little half breed…" _

"_If what…?" Kagome asked, trying to slide out from between the angry boy in front of her and the tree's trunk, but a rough hand on her arm stopped her attempted escape. She didn't care if she looked pathetic. She only wanted to live until sunrise, and then she could defend herself. _

_Koga leaned in close, his breath tickling the edge of her human ear. "We'll have another match." He told her, "and you will lose, the pack will think the last time was a fluke…you just got lucky anyway, I wasn't my best that day…" _

_Kagome bristled. It was true she was hardly respected in her pack for anything, but she'd always believed if there was one thing that her pack mates could respect about her besides the fact that she was the youngest daughter of the alpha female, it was her strength. She was more powerful than her peers, and could beat a growing number of the older wolves too. _

"_You were fighting just as well as you do any other time," she told him, anger now fueling her bravery, "If I pretend to lose that will only prove your weakness!"_

_The half demon turned human let out a yelp of surprise when Koga grabbed her and slammed her back against the tree's trunk, so hard that she felt the bark crack beneath her. "Don't you dare insult me, half breed!" he snapped, "You better agree if you value any piece of your pathetic life!" _

_Kagome's eyes glowed with determination as she looked up at the wolf prince towering above her. For now she could only dream of one day having the power that her mother possessed. She wasn't the strongest of the pack, that was for sure, but she was close, and she wouldn't lose that strength to save Koga's pride. _

_She wouldn't lose it to save her own life either. _

"_I won't do it." _

_Hours later the half demon lay in a puddle of her own blood, claw marks and bruises littering her naked flesh. Koga sat beside her, equally naked, but with only a handful of bruises and scrapes from Kagome's weak defense. _

"_Have you changed your mind yet, or do I need to convince you again?" _

_Any normal human would be dead, but Kagome's eyes drifted to the soft orange hues settling on the horizon. The sun would be rising soon. "Y…you won't change…my mind…" Kagome managed weakly, turning to look at the wolf prince beside her, "not…even…in death…" _

_Koga's face darkened and he rolled over on top of her again, his fist raised and aiming for her already bruised face, smiling in satisfaction at the way she cringed. "We'll see about that!" He sneered, but his words were cut short when a single howl broke through the crisp air. _

"_Otoosan…" Koga said, glancing over his shoulder in the direction the voice had come. He turned back to Kagome and then again looked over his shoulder. "Damn it…" he said finally, glaring at her as he stood and gathered his clothes. "Don't you think this is over, half breed scum…" _

_Kagome watched him go; waiting until she was sure he was out of hearing distance until she released a relieved sigh and reached with her uninjured arm for her haori, covering what she could of her body with the torn cloth. "I'm saved…" she whispered, allowing her mind to drift closer to unconsciousness as she turned hazy eyes on the rising sun. _

…

It hadn't been until a month later, when Kagome was sure Koga planned on making a monthly ritual out of his attacks, that she had collapsed in front of her mother and begged for her forgiveness as she told her story. Unfortunately for the young half demon, the comfort that Kagome had desperately hoped for and needed was far from what she got. Her mother had been furious, and her eyes grew red with fury when she went after Koga and his brothers, but an even more formidable fury had been directed at Kagome later when she had been scolded for not saying something sooner and alerting her elders.

Never mind the fact that her pack mates already knew of Koga's attacks and did nothing to stop it.

Never mind the fact that the only reason for the attacks in the first place had been because she had defeated Koga in a match, and then continued to defeat him each time he had challenged her.

That wasn't important, her mother only saw weakness when she looked into Kagome's tear-stained face, and there was nothing she hated more than weakness.

Kagome sighed and pressed her forehead against her closed fists, willing the painful memories of her childhood to disappear from her mind. They didn't, but then again they never did. They were always there, ready and willing to surface whenever they were called on by the half demon's unconscious mind.

She finally fell back onto the grassy hill behind her, folding her arms snuggly over her face and chanting a mantra, that she didn't realize she was saying out loud, in attempt to calm her mind. "Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away…" she whispered, "I don't want to remember anymore…"

It was only due to that, and her own distracted thoughts that she didn't notice Inuyasha approaching until he was right on top of her, and with a surprised grunt she jerked back into a seated position and turned to face him. "You…" she started, "what do you want…?"

"Hey," he said and made a face. "What was that you were saying just now…?" he asked, responding to her question with one of his own.

Kagome bristled. "Shut up, it's none of your business," she told him, averting her gaze. It only lasted a minute though, and then she turned her curious eyes back on him. "Shouldn't you and the others be gone by now, anyway?"

Inuyasha raised one thick eyebrow at her, "Without you?" He asked her, "Come on," he said then, turning to go and waving one hand over his shoulder at her, "It's almost sunset, we should go now so that we can cover as much ground as possible before it gets dark."

Kagome watched him as he left, not moving from her seat on the ground. He got about twenty feet before he stopped and turned to look back at her, noticing that she was not following him, and that she hadn't even made any effort to stand. "What's your problem? We have to go, now."

Kagome shifted fractionally, but still made no attempt to follow, and instead turned away from him to face the direction she was sitting. "You go ahead," she told him softly, "I'll catch up later…"

Inuyasha's already existing frown deepened then, _'was it just my imagination...or did she look depressed just now?'_ He asked himself silently, he gave a snort of disbelief then and brushed it off. _'She's just tired like the rest of us, and too stubborn to admit it,'_ he decided_, 'it doesn't matter anyway, we have to go!'_

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha said allowed, "We can't just…"

His words died in his throat however when the half demon turned to look at him again. The look on her face was not just one of physical exhaustion, and her expression made him shiver slightly.

"I said I'll catch up later, didn't you hear me?" she sneered. "Just go."

Inuyasha winced. It was impossible to name any one expression on her face when she turned to look at him. There was too much emotion swimming behind the windows in her eyes for him to take, and he finally had to avert his gaze.

In his heart he understood. After all, he remembered wearing similar expressions in the past, as a child, and even more recently when he lost his fiancée, Akane. He groaned and pressed the heel of each hand against his forehead, forcing his own painful memories back into the deep, dark corners of his mind where they belonged. He waited patiently for a few moments while the memories shrunk away the way he had trained them to do, and then peeled open his eyes to peek out at Kagome. She had since returned her gaze frontward and presented him with her back once more.

It was clear to him now that Miroku touching her the way he did hadn't just pissed her off as he had originally imagined, it had lifted unwelcome memories to the surface so that they could rage across the surface of her mind in an uncontrolled manner until she had the strength to tame them again. What the memories were of he had no idea, but he found he could sympathize anyway, if only with his imagination.

Inuyasha watched Kagome for only a moment longer before he turned and began his walk back to camp, empty handed. By the time the group finished loading the horses and mounting he imagined they might be able to make it two or three miles before the night would blanket them in darkness and make travel too difficult for their human eyes. Kagome would easily be able to catch up with them by the next morning with her demonic speed, and then they could continue on as if nothing had happened.

As Inuyasha's gaze fell upon the sky above him however, already melting into shades of purple, red and orange as the sun began its descent, he paused. His eyes fell on the full moon already resting in its place and his face darkened slightly as he turned to face Kagome's backside again.

"Hey."

Kagome flinched and then turned to glare over her shoulder at him, the same unreadable expression remaining on her face. "You're still here?" she spit out rudely, "do you want to waste a whole night sitting here, doing nothing? Get lost already."

Inuyasha had to bite his tongue to keep himself in check. Now was hardly the time to start an argument, so instead of rising to the challenge and beginning an all-out war of words (one of many that the two had shared before), he crossed his arms across his chest and landed the half demon with a smug look to which he saw her twitch, her attention suddenly focused solely on him.

"What?" she asked nervously, "What's that look for?"

Inuyasha replied with a nod in the direction of the setting sun, "It's the full moon tonight, isn't it?" He asked, watching her squirm beneath his gaze with a strong sense of satisfaction as he delivered a not so welcome reminder of what would be coming shortly.

Kagome was far from ready to admit anything to the smug swordsman however, especially a weakness, and proved such as she sent an upward glance in the direction of the full moon before turning her back to him again. "What of it?" she replied, satisfied that, with her back still turned, he was unable to see the uncertain look on her face.

Unfortunately for the half demon, Inuyasha was not a fool to her games. "Don't give me that," he demanded sharply, "Do you think I'm stupid? Were you hoping I hadn't figured it out?" he asked next, "It's the night we met fool, of course I wouldn't! The time you turn into a human, your time of weakness is tonight, isn't it?"

In only a matter of seconds Kagome had closed the distance in-between the two of them to slap a firm hand over his mouth, her plans for feigning innocence suddenly forgotten. "Keep your voice down!" she hissed, peeking over his shoulder as if to make sure he hadn't somehow managed to hide the others nearby without her noticing. "What if the others hear you? They'll, they'll…ugh, just shut up, will you?"

His initial shock disappearing, Inuyasha took a step back from the distraught woman in front of him, brushing her hand away with one of his. "What? Did you mean to hide it from all of us?"

Kagome stared up at him, disbelief painted on her face. "Of course I did!" she hissed, "it's bad enough that you know about it!"

"But…you…" Inuyasha started, looking utterly confused by her confession, perhaps even hurt. "Shippou doesn't hide it," he said finally. "Why would you?"

"Shippou is a naive child who wasn't taught any different by his pack, they protected him, they loved him, and he doesn't have any reason to think he should have to hide such a thing." Kagome scoffed, "but for me…it was different…"

For the handful of minutes that Inuyasha had spent with her, he had been able to slightly distract her from her memories, and for that she was grateful. Now they came flooding back and she remembered all of her previous attempts to defend herself on nights such as these, alone, scared and praying that she'd be able to see the sun rise again in the morning.

She sighed and bowed her head to hide her eyes from Inuyasha's curious stare. "You should go…you can still cover some ground even with all the time that you've wasted here, but only if you hurry…" she turned once more to return to her spot, "I'll catch up to you in the morning…"

Meanwhile, Inuyasha watched her dive deeper and deeper into her painful past with each second that passed and tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that settled in his stomach. _'I can't leave now…'_ he thought, _'and just let her be here, alone? Unprotected? She'll get herself killed!'_

He spared a glance over his shoulder in the direction of their camp, and then with his decision made, he reached out to lay a gentle hand on her shoulder and effectively stop her depart. "You'll need protection if you're going to be in that human form of yours won't you?" He asked, not noticing the way she stiffened beneath his hand, "you can come back to camp and—"

"I don't need you to protect me." Kagome interrupted him stiffly, jerking away from his hand and taking a few steps back to put herself out of reach, "I've survived this long by myself, I'll be fine."

Inuyasha didn't look convinced. "You wouldn't have survived last time if I hadn't been there." He pointed out.

"I would have been fine."

"You would have been dead!"

"I've survived worse!"

Inuyasha's tongue rested uncomfortably in-between his teeth as he stared down at the equally frustrated half demon. "Fine." He bit out finally, and turned to go, "but don't come crying to me if you get attacked again."

"I won't." Kagome told him, narrowing her eyes on his stationary form. "So go already."

Inuyasha sent a threatening glare over his shoulder, but left without another word, or so he thought, but Kagome could easily hear the muttered insulted, undoubtedly directed at her, as he left. She waited until he was out of sight and hearing distance before returning to reclaim her previous spot on the ground.

'_It's better to be alone at a time like this…' _she thought, looking up at the full moon with a soft sigh. _'It's better to be alone, so that nobody can laugh at you, hurt you and know your weakness.'_ she continued, as she had done for many years at this same time, trying to convince herself that she was right. _'So why_ _does it seem so hard to believe this time…?'_

…

"Why are they taking so long?" Shippou whined to his group mates, "It'll be dark soon…"

Miroku, Kohaku, Shippou and Hoshi had taken advantage of Inuyasha's temporary leave in order to saddle the horses, gather their supplies and clean up the camp site before their two friends returned, but they had finished long before and now waited (somewhat impatiently) for the others to return.

"Do you think their fighting again, Hoshi?" The red-headed boy asked, peeking down at his fairy friend from his perch on the back of one of their horses.

She spared him a look and smiled reassuringly at him, "Do they do anything else, Shippou-chan?" She teased, but then shook her head and returned her gaze forward. "I'm sure they're just taking their time. That's good, it means we can relax."

"If we wait too long then we won't be able to go." Kohaku pointed out, catching the curious looks of his group mates he explained, "It's difficult for us humans to travel at night because of our weak eyesight. I can't imagine Inuyasha-sama would want to continue closer to the border once night falls, we'll be at a disadvantage to any demon that might come along."

"I can see at night just fine." Shippou told him with a sense of arrogance.

Kohaku chuckled, "But aside from Kagome and Hoshi, the rest of us are human, Shippou. How would we keep up?"

"I dunno."

"Human?" Kohaku and Shippou both turned to look at Miroku who had, up until now, been happy to sit by and watch the antics his new companions, but the new direction of their conversation had caught his attention and he couldn't help but to question them, "is Shippou not human like the rest of us?"

"I forgot, you don't know." Kohaku said, exchanging looks with Shippou, as if asking for permission to continue. The boy didn't look phased so he went on. "Shippou is a half demon like Kagome. He has an odd was of changing though…you know that half demons have a time of weakness when they turn human?"

Miroku nodded.

Kohaku continued, "Shippou is human every day, but when night falls he turns into a full blooded fox demon."

Shippou chose that moment to leap from his perch and land neatly on Kohaku's shoulder, clinging the older man's ponytail to stabilize himself. "I'll be changing soon," he told the demon hunter, grinning in excitement, "Once the sun sets I can fight! I can create allusions and even start a fire!"

Miroku blinked a couple of times, his expression unreadable as he regarded the excited, young half demon. "I admit my understanding of half demons is limited," he started, "but is your time of weakness really something you should speak of so freely?"

Shippou cocked his head to one side cutely, "Why would I hide it?" he asked, utterly confused, "You're a friend now, aren't you?" Before Miroku could answer the child's honest question the boy rocketed off of Kohaku's shoulders and landed on the ground before the group.

"He's back!" he shouted, pointing into the trees where the familiar, red-cloaked form of their leader could be spotted. Shippou's face fell slightly when he noticed that Inuyasha was alone. "Where's Kagome?" he asked with a whine, "She's coming too, isn't she?"

Inuyasha offered the child a weak smile that even Shippou could tell was fake as he passed. He made his way to the horses and reached under the belly of each one to un-cinch their saddle and remove their load. It wasn't until he was done there that he spoke to the group. "We'll leave in the morning," he told them, now digging in one of their bags for the dried rabbit meat that they had saved from an earlier hunt. "Kagome will be back then. You should all take this opportunity to catch up on your rest. Shippou, you'll be turning soon, start a fire when you can." He stood after gathering the meat and headed out the same way he had come leaving his four shocked companions behind.

'_So…he knows…'_ Hoshi thought, watching Inuyasha disappear back into the forest with wide eyes. _'Did Kagome tell him? No, she's far too secretive for that…but then how would he…?' _

"Hoshi?"

The fairy was startled by a gentle pat delivered by none other than Shippou. He looked confused, scared and even a little hurt. "What happened? Do you think Kagome and Inuyasha are fighting again? Is everything going to be ok?"

Hoshi offered him her brightest smile, "of course Shippou-chan, don't be worried…" she paused then when she caught similar looks from Miroku and Kohaku pointed in her direction.

"You know something, Hoshi?" Kohaku asked.

"I…" Hoshi rubbed the back of her neck uneasily, "It's not my place to say…"

Miroku and Kohaku exchanged a look then before both returning their eyes to Hoshi. They smiled. "We understand," Miroku told her, "all will come in time."

…

"You can't hide it forever, you know that." Inuyasha said, watching the human woman in front of him flinch with a wrinkled brow, _'She didn't even hear me coming…'_ he thought in awe before continuing, "If you continue to travel with us the rest will find out."

Kagome glowered over her shoulder at him, "you should have left."

"Shut up!" Inuyasha snapped, moving forward to take a seat only a handful of feet from her. "Did you seriously expect me to just leave you her alone in this condition? You would have been dead by morning for sure!"

Kagome looked at him, her expression skeptical and untrusting, "You…you didn't tell the others…did you?"

"Of course not," he told her, unfolding the covering on the rabbit meat in his hands. There wasn't much there, Shippou and Hoshi had devoured most of it the night before, but it was enough to provide an appetizer at the very least. Inuyasha caught the relived breath she let out when he answered her negatively and saw the way her shoulders fell as she relaxed. "You thought I would…?" he asked, taking his first bite of the dried meat. "It's your decision to make, not mine. But if you continue to disappear every full moon they will get suspicious…"

"I know that." Kagome replied tightly, and then a moment passed before she spoke again, "You don't need to stay here, you know." she told him, "I told you already, I've survived much worse than last time on nights like these. I can take care of myself. There's no need to worry."

"Who said I was worried?" Inuyasha barked, a little too quickly if the unconvinced look Kagome sent him was any indication, "You're a valuable part of the team, that's all. It would slow us down if you were hurt."

"Is that supposed to be a complement?"

"Idiot, why would I complement you?"

Inuyasha frowned as he saw the way her lips curved upwards, _'what in the hell is she smiling for?'_ he thought, and then with a sigh, _'she's impossible_ _to understand.'_ He turned to the meat in his hands, a few pieces still left from what he had taken, and shoved it roughly towards the woman beside him. "Here," he said, "it's the rabbit meat from earlier. Eat it."

Kagome stared at the meat hungrily for a moment before catching herself and looking away, "I'm not hungry," the half demon turned human lied, "you can finish it."

Inuyasha scowled. "Yes you are."

Kagome turned to face him again, her scowl matching his. "I'm not hungry," she repeated.

"Liar."

Kagome bristled. _'How dare him,'_ she thought angrily, _'first he tries to tell me I need protection, from him no less, then he calls me a liar?' _a rather impressive (considering her human body) growl rose from her throat as she met his eyes. _'I don't need him to protect me or to take care of me, I don't need anyone to do those things, ever!' _

As if Inuyasha could read her thoughts at that exact moment, he continued, "Why do you always have to keep things to yourself?" he snapped at her, "What is it about having someone else help you that makes you so uncomfortable? I told you before, remember? We're partners, we fight together, protect and take care of each other…that's how it's supposed to work!"

Kagome stared at him for a minute, eyes wide and lips parted slightly in shock. She had been about to say something, but what it was she could quite remember now. _'That bastard…he needs to stay out of my head…'_ she thought, averting her gaze, "I…just…" she started, unsure where to go with her words, "it's nothing," she said finally, "you really shouldn't worry so much."

"I told you I'm not worried," he denied easily before pushing the meat towards her again. "Why would I worry about you? Now take the food, no one else is going to eat it."

"I said I'm not—"

"Humor me." He told her, and finally tossed the package into her lap when she refused to take it. She gave him another one of her dirty looks but finally picked up a strip of the rabbit meat and brought it to her lips. After her first bite she quickly devoured the rest in a handful of seconds, proving that her initial denial had been a complete lie as the swordsman had originally thought. It wasn't until she was finished that he stood up, brushed himself off and turned to go back to camp.

"Wait…"

Inuyasha paused and glanced curiously down at the half demon below him. "What?"

She hesitated, then, "It's just…" she started, "you won't…you won't tell the others, right?"

"I said I wouldn't, didn't I?" Inuyasha said folding his arms across his chest and staring into the forest ahead. "It's your decision, when you want them to find out…" he continued, "It's not my right to tell them such a thing."

Only silence followed so with a shrug of his shoulders Inuyasha headed out again. He didn't get twenty feet before Kagome's words stopped him again.

"Thank you."

Startled, he stopped and turned to look at her again, but was only presented with her back. _'Did she just…thank me?'_ he thought, and unreadable expression crossing his face. "Well I…" he started, and then shook his head and felt his lips tugged upwards, "you're welcome."

…

Hours later the camp was silent. Kohaku, Miroku and Shippou were sleeping, but Inuyasha sat awake, his eyes glazed slightly as he stared into the orange flames of the fire, lost in his own thoughts. He couldn't sleep. His memories wouldn't leave him alone long enough.

'_Akane…'_ Inuyasha thought weakly, 'Akane…I'm sorry. I should have saved you. I should have been stronger.' He was pulled from his own dark thoughts however at the sound of a twig snapping near him, and his gaze lifted to meet with Hoshi's curious gaze.

She smiled at him. "Hey, weren't you saying we should catch up on our rest earlier?"

"Hoshi…" He greeted her, ignoring her comment, "where were you just now?"

"Me?" The fairy asked, "I was nowhere." She moved a bit closer until she was just across the fire from him and took a seat on the ground. "What about you?"

"What about…" Inuyasha scowled, "I've been here the whole time, what are you talking about?"

"I didn't mean your physical body, Inuyasha." Hoshi replied seriously, and she frowned too when she caught the closed off look that immediately crossed his face. "You're just like Kagome you know? You both have pasts that you don't want to share. You think it's better if you keep it all bottled up inside so that no one else can judge you…or hurt you…"

"Whatever." Inuyasha scoffed, preparing to stand and go to his own bedding, but Hoshi's next words stopped him.

"How did you know?"

"How did I…" he hesitated, he knew what she was asking but wondered what the best answer was. He looked to his other companions then. They appeared to be asleep, but he couldn't be sure, and he did not intend to spread the word of Kagome's weakness to his companions, even if it was unintentional. He had given her his word and planned on keeping it. "How did I know what?" He said finally.

Hoshi shook her head and smiled at him again, "its ok, I already know." She confessed, and then jerked a finger in the direction of the three sleeping men behind her. "And don't worry, they're asleep. I put a spell on them earlier. They should sleep soundly until morning…aside from Shippou-chan of course, but he sleeps like a rock anyway…"

"A…A spell?" Inuyasha asked, surprised. "You can do that?"

"I can do many thinks that you don't know about." Hoshi pointed out easily, and her lips curled up into a smirk at the uneasy look that crossed Inuyasha's face. "Answer my question."

"I met her on the night of the full moon." Inuyasha told the fairy truthfully, "I saw her again the night after and she was her normal self…I just put two and two together, that's all."

"That's all?"

Inuyasha nodded, "that's all."

He could tell that the fairy wanted to interrogate him further, and planned to dodge any more questions from the miniature creature so that he could once more burry himself in his own thoughts, but the unwelcome feel of a powerful demon's aura rubbing against the edge of his senses made his next words die in his throat. His hand latched onto Tetsusaiga instinctually and he wasted no time in securing it at his hip. He turned to Hoshi, who had also sensed the approach if the dark look behind her eyes was any indication, and gave her a meaningful look.

"Stay here." he barked at her, "if what you say is true, about that spell…the others will need someone to protect them incase anything happens. I'm going."

…

Kagome took a deep, steadying breath before peeking around the wide trunk of the tree she currently hid behind. She raised one thin brow at what she saw, _'A bear?'_ she thought, _'no…that's a bear demon…' _

She shifted back behind the tree until she was once more out of the demon's potential range of sight. It hadn't managed to see her, yet, and with it's nose buried in the carcass of it's most recent kill she would venture as far as to say it probably hadn't smelled her either. _'I have to lead it away from camp,' _Kagome thought, and then without hesitance she stepped away from her hiding spot.

"Hey."

The way the bear demon spun to face her, and the surprise she saw in it's beady black eyes told her that she had been correct in assuming it had been as clueless to her whereabouts as she had predicted. She grinned. _'Well good, at least I can still outwit weaklings like this one…I was starting to think this foolish human body wasn't good for anything at all.'_

The bear demon was an ugly sort of creature. It's massive body was covered in thick brown hair that had been matted with blood and dirt and it's black, soulless eyes stared hungrily at her. It's back and shoulders were especially muscular, it's talons were so long that one would guess it would have trouble moving and when it opened it's mouth to roar at her for daring to disturb it's meal, it revealed a mouthful of jagged, white teeth.

Kagome watched as the beast stood up on its hind legs, towering over her with a height that was at least three times her own. _'It's…bigger than I thought…' _Kagome thought, unconsciously taking a step back to distance herself from the threat. There was no time to think further though as the beast took a leap forward and landed only a handful of feet in front of Kagome with another angry roar.

"Damn," she spat and then turned to take off in the opposite direction of her companion's camp site, only looking over her shoulder once to make sure it was following her. It was, and it was fast.

A handful of moments later Kagome crouched behind a large boulder, peeking around it to stare at the bear demon's backside as it tried in vain to sniff her out. After running a handful of miles and successfully managing to dodge each one of the demon's attempted attacks, she had found herself in a small canyon, filled with large boulders that proved to be ideal for hiding behind. The only problem now was the dead end, and the demon who blocked her only exit.

'_This is pathetic…'_ she thought with a groan, _'if I was in my real body that beast would have been dead before it even saw me.' _she felt her neck suddenly become damp with sweat as the demon spun around to face her hiding spot, _'shit.'_

Despite herself, she stepped out from behind the stony barrier and glared at her pursuer, lifting her scythe in one hand. "This stupid thing probably won't be any good now, but," she started, "I'm sure it's more than enough to kick your ass…"

With a furious snarl the bear lunged at her again. Kagome dodged easily and swung at the demon's side with the blade of her weapon, satisfied at the sight of blood as she came away from the attack. Her face fell however when she turned to look at the demon, only to see in licking at the minor would she had created on it's hair covered belly.

"What?" She snapped, "It hardly did a thing!"

Another snarl rose from the bear's throat and it lunged at her once more. Kagome crouched and prepared to meet his attack with another one of her own, but she stopped dead at the sound of her name being called, turning instead to stare over her shoulder with wide eyes as Inuyasha approached. He was running towards her with Tetsusaiga raised in his hands and he didn't look happy.

"Get the hell out of my way!" He howled at her, and she didn't give it a second thought as she saw his sword making it's decent towards the ground. "Tetsusaiga!"

Kagome watched from behind Inuyasha as the yellow light faded, revealing the demon's body, motionless and cut open on the ground before the two humans. She snorted_, 'He didn't even have to use the wind scar, what a weakling.'_ She thought, before lifting her eyes to meet with Inuyasha's furious golden gaze as he turned to face her.

"What are you, stupid?" He barked at her, "You could have been killed!"

Kagome eyebrow developed a sudden twitch at this as she glared up at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, even without your normal hearing…" Inuyasha said confidently as he sheathed his sword. "Why didn't you come to get me?"

"I didn't need your help." Kagome grouched, "I could have taken that pile of meat down just fine by myself." Her eyes widened then as she caught sight of the massive body of what she thought had been a dead demon moving towards them.

"Shit!" she snapped, leaping out of the way seconds before the beast clawed at the pair. Inuyasha wasn't as lucky however, and she watched with a growl as he was knocked to the ground by the demon's powerful front paw.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, and without as second thought jumped in to block the demon's second attack, giving it another wound on the neck and effectively drawing it's attention away from her injured companion.

Inuyasha meanwhile wasted no time in drawing Tetsusaiga and climbing to his feet. His wound was not serious, the fire rat armor that he wore regularly had stood up well against the demon's sharp talons, but the skin had been ripped away from his lower, left arm and he winced as he lifted his weapon. "Kagome," he called to the half demon turned human, "get out of the way! I'm going to use the wind scar!"

Kagome, who had since found herself backed up against the canyon's thick, rock wall while she blocked the jagged teeth of the bear demon with her scythe, managed to shove the demon away from her long enough to scramble for safety. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the familiar light of Inuyasha's sword appear as it ripped the beast apart, only ducking out of the way seconds before it reached her. When the light faded, and she saw the corpse of the bear demon laying a handful of yards from her, she stood and dusted herself off. This time she waited until she saw the body begin to melt away before returning to Inuyasha's side. Her face darkened as she saw him. He was seated on one of the many boulders within the small canyon, tending to his injured arm with a pained expression.

'_Damn,'_ she thought, already berating herself as she reached inside her haori for the familiar feel of the medicine container always kept there. _'I shouldn't have gotten out of the way without protecting him first. What was I thinking?' _

"Here"

Inuyasha jumped as a small, silver container was tossed in his direction. He caught it easily and opened his hand to stare at it curiously. It was an oval shape, and only large enough to fit into the palm of his hand. He lifted his eyes to meet with Kagome's only to see her avert her gaze quickly.

"What's this?" He asked.

She was silent for a moment, refusing to look at him. "It's for your arm," she answered finally, "You're hurt."

"Medicine?" he asked next, popping open the small lid and drawing his finger through the gel inside before spreading it gently across his wound. He winced slightly as the medicine began to burn his arm, but then watched in amazement as the wound closed within only a handful of minutes and continued to heal. "This is…" he started, staring, "where did you get this?"

"Nowhere important," Kagome answered impatiently, and suddenly her eyes fell on the horizon. The sun would be rising soon. "You should get back."

Inuyasha ignored her, instead standing and walking to her. "This is the same medicine you used for Rin, isn't it?" he asked, placing the container back in her waiting hand. "Her wounds from that day…they were completely gone by the time we got back home…"

Kagome nodded. "I'm not sure what's in it." she answered truthfully, "it's a demon medicine of some sort, something my…" she hesitated, and then averted her gaze, "my mother gave it to me."

"Your mother did?" Inuyasha asked, but then he stopped himself from questioning her further when he saw a faraway look cross her face, "never mind. Let's get back to camp. Hoshi put some sleeping spell on the others, they won't wake up until sunrise, or that's what she said anyway. You being there shouldn't be a problem."

"A…" Kagome looked surprised, "a sleeping spell? She can do that?"

Inuyasha paused, looking at her over his shoulder. "You don't know? But you two are…"

Kagome rolled her eyes, "never mind, she wouldn't tell me something like that anyway." She admitted, and a smile crossed her lips as she felt the first rays of sunshine hit her face, walking past Inuyasha and eagerly into the light. She would be back to her normal self by the time the two returned anyway.

…

_AN: Umm…couldn't really find a satisfying way to end that last bit, hope you guys like it anyway. I tried to make this chapter as fuzzy and fluff filled as possible without messing up the characters too much, so hopefully you enjoyed that too. :D Review please? Please? You all know by now that I LOVE reviews! _

_**Some more important stuff…**_

_Kagome would be about 9yrs old in her flashback, Koga would be about 15yrs old. Also, just to clarify the group is going to the south, I made some mistakes and put "west" in previous chapters I think…I'll go back and fix that stuff later. _

_**Chapter 13 (The Southern Kingdom): **__They've made it to the south, finally! Lots of things happen here, secrets revealed, battles lost and won, relationships strengthened…and Sesshoumaru shows up! How cool is that? _

_Read and Review!_

_Till next time – K _


	13. Chapter 13

_AN: Here's chapter 13 for you, just in time for the holidays, whatever you celebrate—or don't celebrate, I hope you enjoy! I made the decision to split this chapter in half, originally the southern lands was only going to be split between two chapters, but because it became so big it might end up being three or more. But on a positive note, now that I've split em' up Chapter 14 (and 15) are partially done! They should be out soon! *cough* reviews help *cough* _

_PS. No birds were harmed in the making of this chapter…ok, just one. _

**Chapter 13: The Southern Kingdom Part 1 **

"They're…they're huge!" Shippou cried, staring straight up at one of the eight massive stone sculptures that secured the southern lands. Each one was built in the shape of a dog, standing atop a large, square pillar with one front leg raised and a feral snarl sculpted into it's muzzle. They were each positioned at the point of an octagon shaped barrier, which sparked angrily at the young boy when he got too close.

Shippou yelped in surprise and scurried back to stand behind Kagome's legs as she too took in the sight before them. She spared a glance down at the young boy, "it's not that impressive, is it?"

"Huh?" the boy asked, looking between the older half demon and the barrier before them, "How can you say that? The gods are amazing, their power is unrivaled!"

"Not quite…" Kagome told him with a sign, then with a shake of her head she turned away from the barrier to watch for the rest of their companions who had yet to catch up.

Shippou frowned in disagreement, but his attention was quickly averted to a tiny sparrow, it's wings beating the air as it flew past them. He watched in horror as the bird grew closer and closer to the barrier, which hissed and sparked a warning but the sparrow didn't notice until it was too late. A glowing white branch reached from within the barrier, wrapping itself around the unsuspecting bird and killing it instantly before retreating back from where it had come, the bird only a pile of feathers in the grass.

"Poor, poor bird…" Shippou whispered, clinging a bit tighter to Kagome's leg, "How are we supposed to get through?" he whimpered, "I don't want to die...I'm just a kid…"

"Shippou," Kagome said, bringing the youth's attention back to her. She was still looking over her shoulder. "They've finally caught up, let's go…"

Before the boy could get in so much as a word, Kagome had scooped him up by his fox fur vest and took off, her feet barely touching the ground as she ran. Within seconds she had made it within feet of the three horseback warriors and one fairy, quickly falling into step with Inuyasha's horse as she deposited Shippou onto her shoulders.

"How do you plan to get through that barrier?" Kagome asked, "Get too close and it will kill you…"

"Don't you think I know that?" Inuyasha scoffed, waving his trusty map in front of her, "That's why we have this, it's sure to have something in it about getting past that thing…"

Kagome hesitated a moment, jaw slack and eyes wide, then recovered and ran forward to catch up. "You don't know?" She asked in disbelief, "How can you _not_ know?"

"I didn't say that!" Inuyasha snapped at her, pulling his horse to a stop beside the other two riders to look at the scroll in his hand. As he opened it and stared at the characters painted across the paper his face went from frustrated to shocked.

Kagome gave him a knowing look, "nothing, right?"

"Feh!" The man replied tersely, shoving the scroll in her direction.

She rolled her eyes and scanned over the characters. She hardly knew how to read, it hadn't ever been something she'd considered necessary for a person like herself, but even she could make out enough to tell that it was only a list of names, locations and a few guidelines to remember along with a not-so-detailed map. With a half snort, half laugh she handed it back and folded her arms, not looking anymore pleased with the situation then the swordsman beside her.

The group was silent for a moment before Kohaku decided to remind them of the fairy that they had brought along for this very purpose, "doesn't Hoshi-san know about the barrier?"

"Huh, me?" Hoshi stood at attention as five pairs of eyes landed on her floating figure, "Well, I do it's just…I thought it would be more fun to watch you figure it out on your own." She squirmed then under the five not-so-appreciative-scowls. "Oh, come on, it's not that hard…all you have to do is ask…"

"Fine," Inuyasha grumbled, also folding his arms. "How do we get past the barrier?"

Hoshi stared back at him, and then jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the massive stone statues behind her, "Don't ask me stupid, I meant that you have to talk to them…"

Inuyasha stared back at her incredulously, "You want me to talk to a stone statue? That's ridiculous!"

Hoshi shrugged, "Well don't expect to get past the barrier with that attitude…"

"She's right." Miroku said next, earning a smile from the fairy, "As foolish as it sounds, it's worth a shot."

That said, the hunter urged his ride forward only coming to a stop again when he was a handful of feet from the barrier. He waited patiently for his companions to catch up before turning to one of the stone beasts before them. Each of the eight were perched atop their pillars, the top of their heads nearly touching the clouds that floated past, and that wasn't the only thing that made them intimidating, their faces on bodies looked so real, as if the statue you step off of it's perch at any minute and attack.

"Alright…" Miroku started when it seemed none of the others cared to speak, "My name is Miroku," he started, "I come from a village of demon hunters north-west of here, I come as one of the last of my people to warn you of Naraku's power. He has destroyed my home and I fear he plans to gather the three treasures and bring back his brother, Onigumo."

Silence met their ears and the group exchanged bewildered looks before Miroku gave it one last try, dismounting his horse and falling to one knee in front of the barrier, head bowed.

"I beg you to let me pass!"

The silence continued before Inuyasha turned to look at his fairy companion with a snarl, "That did nothing at all," he pointed out with a wave of his hand, "What kind of idiots do you take us for? Are you trying to make fun of us?"

Hoshi returned his words with a flat look, "You're not paying attention, are you?" She asked him simply, before gesturing back to the barrier. "Look…"

Sure enough, as the group turned back to stare up at the barrier they found it secure and just as dangerous as when they last saw it, however four of the eight stone dogs had disappeared. It didn't take long to find them, their intense golden eyes and long silver fur standing out against the green of the forest behind them. They looked just as dangerous and massive as they had when they were stone, more so now that they were crouching in front of the group, teeth bared and eyes narrowed as they took in their new targets.

"You will be allowed to pass," one of the beasts roared, glaring down at them, "only upon our defeat!"

Shippou let out a yelp of terror before diving into Kagome's arms, tugging at her sleeves desperately, "let's go home, let's go home!" he whined, "it's not that important, is it? I don't want to die!"

Inuyasha rolled his golden eyes before drawing Tetsusaiga and brandishing it in front of him, his cocky smirk already in place, "If you're scared Shippou, you should run and hide!" he told the boy, "but I'll be damned if I'm going to back down from a challenge like this!"

The largest of the four beasts regarded the swordsman for a moment, narrowed eyes landing on the transformed blade in the human's hands. Before anyone could do more than notice it's lingering gaze however, the dog had leapt forward, mouth gaping as it lunged for it's pray.

"You will all fail!"

"Spread out!" Inuyasha ordered, diving into his leadership role immediately as each of his team did as they were told and took off in different directions, the dog's long claws digging into the earth where they were only seconds before. Inuyasha took a moment to admire the beast's power before he was forced to refocus on the problem at hand when another of the beasts lunged towards him. He glanced above him to spot Hoshi flying high above the battle field and carrying Shippou to safety, even in her tiny body his weight was not a hindrance.

'_Good,'_ he thought, returning again to the battle at hand, _'they're safe, now we just need to focus on fighting.'_ He met eyes with the rest of his companions and nodded, "all of you take one!" he ordered.

"No need!" Miroku called, startling his companions, "I have a weapon that can take care of all of them at once!"

"What are you talking about, idiot?" Kagome howled at him, digging her claws into one of the dog's legs and earning a load howl of protest. "Do as he says," she continued, now dodging claws one hundred times the size of her own. "You'll get yourself killed if you do it on your own!"

"She's right, Oniisan!" Kohaku called. He had successfully managed to wrap his chains around the two front legs of his opponent, only to be dragged upwards and slammed painfully back into the ground as the beast reared up on it's hind legs and sent him flying.

Miroku ignored both of their protests and reached for a pouch inside his clothes, taking out a handful of soft, black orbs and holding them in his hand. _'Stink pellets,'_ he thought, making sure he was well out of the way before throwing them in front of his unsuspecting opponent.

"Take cover!" He called to his companions, although it was a little too late he realized as he saw the black gas envelope his friends. Inuyasha and Kohaku made it to the trees within a handful of seconds, coughing and wheezing and glaring at the hunter as they covered their noses. A moment passed.

"Where's Kagome-san…?" Kohaku asked, peering through the haze.

"I didn't think about it until after I threw," Miroku said, wincing as he realized what had probably happened, "she also has a sensitive nose…it probably wasn't good to use those while she was fighting."

"You idiot!" Inuyasha snapped, one hand still on his nose as he hit the man in front of him across the forehead, "What were you thinking? Now we'll be lucky if we ever get through the barrier, you should have listened!"

The demon hunter rubbed the goose bump rising on his forehead and frowned at Inuyasha before turning to his younger brother, "is he always so violent?" he waited for a nod before continuing, "I do apologize, it was a habit. This is how we fight as hunters, we find ways to take advantage of the demon's weakness and because we never fight alongside other demons…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, pulling a cloth from his haori and looking at Kohaku expectantly. The younger boy nodded and did the same, covering his mouth and nose with it. Inuyasha waited patiently before turning to Miroku, "you stay here," he said, voice muffled, "you've caused enough trouble for now."

"I will not." Miroku said, retrieving a metal gas mask that matched his outfit and adjusting it on his face, "It was my mistake and I will help fix it. We should go quickly, Kagome could be in danger." He pointed out, and is if on cue another howl of pain rose from the gas laden field before them. It was impossible to tell from who it had come from and all three men winced as their imaginations took control before heading back into the field.

Meanwhile Kagome was conscious, but barely. She snarled as two of the beasts approached her, toothy grins on their white muzzles. They too had been affected by the poison, but tall as they were it had only slowed them down until they discovered their ability to lift their noses above the gas. Kagome on the other hand, having not expected the attack from her own team mate, had gotten the full blow and now crouched on the ground with both hands clamped over her mouth in an effort to keep from inhaling any more of the poison.

The dog closest to her snarled back, lifting one bloody paw to lick where she had only seconds before clawed it, "foolish half breed, I'll crush you for that!"

The beast raised the same paw high above her and Kagome winced as she it's saw long, sharp talons come diving towards her. She was too weak to move, luckily she didn't have to.

Eyes wide Kagome watched as, with a mighty battle cry, Inuyasha buried his sword in the dog's foot and dragged upward, releasing the wind scar and ripping the beast's leg clear in half along with it's shoulder. With a howl loud enough to deafen it's own ears the beast leapt back and away from them, it's bloody appendage dangling only by a flap of skin.

Inuyasha turned his attention to Kagome then, satisfied that the danger was temporarily gone as he saw the other three beasts busy tending to their injured pack mate. "Are you alright, Kagome?"

"Fine." She groaned, then she caught sight of Miroku approaching and growled, "You Bastard, what were you thinking?"

"My apologies, Kagome-san," He said, bowing his head in shame. "I am…not used to fighting side by side with demons, I will think better next time."

Kagome only growled louder at him, and then turned to Inuyasha, "does he _really_ have to come with us?"

Inuyasha didn't respond, his attention was back on the battle. The dog that Inuyasha had only just attacked was far too injured to continue, but it's three pack mates were uninjured aside from a handful of cuts and scratches. They stood protectively in front of their injured comrade, crouching with their teeth bared as they prepared for their next attack.

"Get ready," Inuyasha called to his friends over his shoulder, "I want this taken care of without any more complications."

The brothers nodded and Kagome pulled herself to her feet. She had been weakened and she had a headache from hell, but she refused to back down from this battle. Her companions quickly took note of this when she sent them an icy glare before they could even open their mouths to protest and all three men kept quiet, deciding it better to let her fight then face her wrath when they tried to stop her.

"You idiots," one of the beasts roared, "you will pay for what you have done to our brother!" Then it leapt forward, his front paws slamming into ground and barely missing the four warriors as they darted in different directions.

Kagome, who had leapt in between the dog's two front feet as it landed in front of her, lifted her scythe in her hands and ripped into the animal's belly with the white hot blade of her weapon. With a furious snarl the dog, injured but not finished, lowered it's massive head to snap at her, and it might have caught her had it not been for the chain that wrapped itself tightly around the dog's muzzle. With a whine of protest the dog buried it's nose in the dirt, rubbing and then clawing at the metal links binding it's jaw.

"Go, Kagome-san!" Kohaku called, muscles straining as he fought to keep both feet on the ground, the massive beast's actions nearly sending him flying, "Hurry!"

Kagome leapt forward again, the blade of her scythe cutting deep into the dog's neck, right where it met with the head. The dog let out a sharp yelp before collapsing in front of them, utterly defeated.

Furious at the defeat of another of it's pack mates, the third dog lunged at Kagome and Kohaku, who both prepared to dodge the oncoming attack, but they didn't have to go far. The dog met the wind scar head on before his paws had even grazed the earth, and instead of tackling Kagome and Kohaku the dog fell into a heap beside it's fallen pack mates.

"Heh," Inuyasha chuckled, resting the transformed Tetsusaiga over his shoulder as he waited for the shivering corpse of the third dog to rise, but it never got back up.

Only a short distance away Miroku had unstrapped his halberd and was dancing back and forth between dodging to furious fangs of his opponent and stabbing it with his twisted blade.

"Stop treating your battles like a game, human!" The dog snarled at him, nearly catching him with a paw swipe. "You only have the skills of a coward!"

Miroku's eyes narrowed as he dodged another attack, "If that's the way you'd like it, I'll finish this quickly." He said, then waited patiently for the dog to return to his level, it's mouth gaping as if it was planning to swallow him whole. "Hah!" the hunter shouted, leaping up onto it's muzzle and stabbing the beast's left eye with his weapon. The beast scurried backwards with a shocked yelp, which was soon silenced as Miroku slit it's throat next.

The dog released another yelp as it crumpled to the ground, blood flowing freely from it's throat and injured eye. "You…" it gurgled, it's one remaining golden eye closing, "you…have…defeated us…"

"Well done, Oniisan!" Kohaku yelled, running across the field to meet with his older sibling, "that was amazing!"

"Thank you Kohaku, you did well too…" the older man replied, but then frowned, "But we still don't know how to get past the barrier."

"Well done."

The four jumped as they spotted Hoshi returning from her flight, Shippou precariously perched on her back. She grinned at them, "No one's injured right?" she asked, "I mean, aside from Kagome, but I can't do much for headaches…"

Kagome snorted, "As if I need your help."

"No one is injured, Hoshi," Miroku cut in, "We appreciate your help," he paused then before continuing, "But perhaps you know of the way past the barrier? I had assumed it would open once we defeated the dogs, however—"

"No worries," Hoshi said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder, "They'll open it for you."

Kagome, Inuyasha, Miroku and Kohaku slowly lifted their eyes to meet with the stern gazes of the four beasts they had only just defeated. Each stood proudly before the barrier, looking just as dangerous and unharmed as when the group had first laid eyes upon them.

"What in the hell is going on!" Inuyasha snapped, the first to recover from his shock, he drew his sword and waved it furiously at the giant dogs in front of him. "We killed you!"

The largest of the four took a step forward, golden eyes narrowing on the group. "Silence, human," it snarled, "We are the guardians of the south, it is impossible to kill us." He continued, "We were created to challenge those who choose to attempt passage, to weed out the weaklings so that our lord didn't have to…" All four of the dogs bowed their heads then, "you have our permission to pass."

Without another word the four turned and cleared the distance back to their respective pillars in one leap. Once they reached the top they each returned to their original positions, their heads held high and one paw raised, before turning back into stone.

"Wow…" Shippou said, still gawking up at the four beasts as if expecting them to attack again at any minute. He was brought back to the present when Hoshi gave his hand an urgent tug.

"Shippou-chan," she whispered, "we have to go before it closes!"

"Huh?" the boy blinked a few times, lowering his gaze only to find that the rest of his friends were already on their way, making a beeline for the barrier where a hole barely big enough for the average sized human to squeeze through had opened. Shippou leapt forward with a squeak of terror, running as fast as his legs would carry him to catch up.

"Wait for me!" he shouted at their backs, "you can't leave me behind!"

"We will if you don't pay more attention next time," Inuyasha called over his shoulder, the first to duck through the opening. He paused then, his eyes wide in shock as he took in the sight before him. "What…?"

The others piled in behind him, peeking over his shoulder to see what had caught his attention. When they did they too expressed similar sounds of surprise, for what had looked like a simple hole from the outside was actually a dark tunnel, lit only by the two openings at either end. It was dome shaped, and the walls looked soft, but not particularly cuddly with the way that they shifted and rumbled throughout the tunnel's long and narrow path.

Inuyasha released an aggravated sigh before being the first to step into the dark. After hesitating only a moment, and receiving an impatient shove from a certain wolf hybrid, Miroku followed after him, Kohaku came next, then Hoshi and finally Kagome. As they all stepped into the dark they silently agreed not to find out what might happen if they touched the tunnel's quivering surface, instead settling into a single file line and following Hoshi's soft green glow as she flew out in front of them.

"It's…kind of creepy isn't it?" Shippou asked, now clinging to Kohaku's shoulders in an effort to not be left behind again.

"Yeah," Kohaku agreed with a nod, watching the walls move beside him with an untrusting eye.

"You're both wimps," Inuyasha called back to them, not bothering to look over his shoulder. "Hurry up so we can make it to the castle before dark. Who knows what else we'll have to deal with once we get past here…"

"Hopefully nothing worse than those dog monsters…" Kohaku said with a shiver.

"What do you mean, "worse than those dogs", that was nothing," Kagome grumbled, "Compared to the power of Sesshoumaru and the other gods for instance…?" she snorted, "not even worth comparing…"

Kohaku glanced back at her, a protest on the tip of his tongue, but his words died in his throat and instead he stood gaping at her. The hybrid glared at him in response, "What's your problem?" she asked. He didn't respond and so, with a roll of her eyes she looked over her shoulder and froze much the same way he had.

The tunnel was closing in on them from behind, and fast.

Without a second to consider what would happen to them if they continued moseying their way through, Kagome leapt forward, taking Kohaku and Shippou with her as she ran to catch up with the others. When she reached them she tossed the two boys roughly at Inuyasha and Miroku, one firm look removing any questions or protests they might have had do to her actions.

"We need to move." She growled at them, "NOW!"

The four of them were quick to respond at the sight of the walls closing in not far behind her. They scrambled to their feet, staring with slack jaws as what had once been their exit thundered towards them. It wasn't stopping to wait for them to get out of the way; it wasn't even slowing down. If anything, it seemed to be gaining momentum. As the walls got closer, a thousand tiny arms wiggled free of the once smooth surface and reached for them, each one promising a painful end for the warriors if they didn't move out of the way fast enough.

"RUN!" Inuyasha howled, bravely shoving his companions in front of him before charging after them towards the exit.

Only a handful of feet from the exit the group took a leap from the tunnel, barely missing the tunnel walls as they closed completely behind them. Inuyasha shuddered as he felt a single groping finger brush against the back of his clothes like a threat hanging in the air. The wind whipped his long black hair gently and he opened his eyes to see himself, along with the rest of his companions suspended in the air. He swallowed, hard, and then they began to fall.

Shippou hit the ground first, landing on his back with a yelp, Miroku followed shortly after, and then Inuyasha and Kohaku who dog piled on top of the hunter. Kagome fell neatly into a crouch beside them, sending a weary look to her not-so-graceful teammates.

Inuyasha groaned as he climbed from the heap, glancing over his shoulder. Now all that was visible was the stretch of land they had traveled to get there, no barriers or stone dog guardians in sight. It seemed it was only difficult to enter, leaving looked quite easy.

With a deep frown and one hand gently probing the new lump on his head he turned back to rest his eyes on the journey still ahead. The castle that was their destination was visible in the distance, a skyscraper towering over the tops of the trees and rolling hills that was their path. Surprisingly enough the great distance between where they were now and their point of interest looked rather peaceful. At least for now the swordsman didn't spot any threats, perhaps the inside of the barrier wasn't as treacherous as he had been lead to believe.

'_Don't get too comfortable,'_ he reminded himself, _'anything within this barrier has to be strong enough to get past those monster dogs outside.'_

Inuyasha peeked down at his companions then. Shippou, Kohaku and Miroku were still busy untangling themselves from each other, Kagome stood beside the three men with Hoshi at her side. Neither of them looked all that impressed with the boy's progress.

Inuyasha caught their attention with a well-aimed kick to Miroku's shoulder, earning a sound of protest from the hunter as he rubbed his offended limb. "Get up;" Inuyasha grouched at them, "We have a lot of walking still ahead of us. It will take until dusk just to arrive at the castle doors."

Shippou was the first to scramble to his feet. Despite having the weight of three full grown men dumped on him he appeared to be uninjured. "Wow," he said, gawking in much the same way he had over the barrier. "It's so amazing…I've never seen anything like it…"

"Doesn't look all that impressive to me," Kagome droned in much the same way she had in response to the boy's earlier gawking.

"That's what you said about the barrier…" Shippou pointed out, climbing onto her shoulder as the group moved off, descending the first of many hills. "That was _before_ the stone dog's came to life and attacked you…" he continued with a smirk.

"And before I destroyed them," she caught Inuyasha's disapproving stare and made a show of rolling her eyes, "before _we_ destroyed them…"

"Yeah, but you were still surprised." Shippou reminded her.

"Not nearly as surprised as you were pup."

"But I'm just a kid!"

"So?"

"Both of you be quiet," Inuyasha interrupted the childish banter behind him, having stopped to stare out at a heavily forested patch nearly a half-mile away. His face darkened, turning to exchange looks with his teammates who had all come to a halt behind him. "Can you feel that?"

"I can smell blood." Kagome commented and without another word she dumped Shippou onto the ground and took off, always eager for another challenge.

"Hey, wait!" Shippou yelped in protest, he didn't have long to complain however as the rest of his friends ran after the wolf hybrid. He scrambled to his feet and followed. "Stop leaving me behind!"

Kagome quirked a thin eyebrow as she flew through the trees, her nose crinkled as the scent of blood and rotting flesh increased with each step. She could see the demons, powerful demons, hiding in the trees around her, staring out at her suspiciously as she passed. The hair stood up straight on the back of her neck as she grew closer and closer, _'what in the hell is going on?' _

She stopped short as she reached the place where the scent was at it's peak, ducking down into a crouch on the sturdy branch of a husky pine tree. As she looked down past the branches her eyes widened at what she saw; a human, or at least that's what he looked like at first glance. He was of a thin build, but muscular. He had wavy black hair that fell loosely down his back and he stared back at her with a pair of half-lid red eyes.

She cringed. His eyes alone sent shivers down her spine, and the fact that he sat peacefully in the middle of the forest, surrounded by the bubbling corpse of a large demon didn't make her feel any better. He was dressed in dark robes and covering his shoulders was a thick, white animal pelt of some sort.

'_This doesn't feel right at all…'_ she thought, _'why hasn't Sesshoumaru investigated this yet? Doesn't he know about it? How can he not, the man reeks of something terrible…' _

Her thoughts abruptly came to a halt as she saw the rest of her teammates approaching and without a second thought she dropped down in front of them, placing herself protectively between her companions and the suspicious stranger. "Who are you?" she growled at him, "What are you doing here?"

The man regarded her for a moment with his cool red eyes, and then stood, wiping the blood from his hands carelessly on his robes. "A wolf hybrid," he said, his voice soft, "how very interesting…"

"Answer me!" Kagome snarled, fur bristling and her teeth bared in a threat. She had never once in her life felt so much unexplained hate for someone she had only just met. _'But it doesn't feel right, not at all.' _she thought, _'he had those demons cowering behind the trees for god's sake! Powerful demon, as strong if not more so than the barrier's guards…'_

"Kagome," Inuyasha said, nudging her aside, "aren't you being a bit hostile?"

She stared back at him incredulously. He couldn't be serious. She looked over her shoulder to see the rest of her companions looking equally surprised by her vicious verbal attack on the red eyed stranger.

'Can't they…' she thought, lost in her own thoughts, 'can't they feel it?'

Then she felt a sudden, unwelcome rush of calm energy rush across her body and shivered at the feel of her body unwillingly dropping it's natural defense. She shifted to look back at the stranger, narrowing her eyes on him suspiciously. Something wasn't right.

"I have business with the dog lord who rules here," he explained with a smile, "I was only resting when the demon attacked," he gestured to the remains surrounding him, "and I defended myself."

He approached them slowly, stopping only a handful of feet from them. "I will continue on my way…"

"What is your business with Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked, folding his arms and looking a little suspicious himself. Then another thought came to him, "Are you alone?" he asked, "How did you get past the barrier?"

The man shrugged in a non-concerned manner, "The same way as you did, by defeating them."

"But…" the swordsman protested, but the red-eyed stranger cut him off.

"The demons will attack again." He told them, eyes searching the trees.

Then, as if they had been waiting for his cue, the demons that had only moments ago been hidden in the trees attacked. There were five, and Kagome, Hoshi, Miroku, Kohaku and Inuyasha wordlessly picked their own opponent and attacked without hesitation.

A two headed boar with glowing red eyes, thick skin and tusks that each looked like they weighed too much for his own head to hold them. Kohaku took advantage of this and wrapped his weapon's chain snuggly around the bone, pulling the beast off balance and crashing him into the surrounding trees.

Inuyasha and Kagome's opponents were a pair of twin ogres, each wielding a club twice their height with sharp and jagged points on the end. The ogres fought them ruthlessly, their clubs proving to be a force to reckoned with. Kagome managed to rip one of the clubs clean in half making the weaponless ogre and mostly defenseless target an easy victory. Seconds later, after managing to rip off both of the ogre's arms with his sword, Inuyasha too was victorious.

Hoshi used her magic and a well-aimed arrow from her bow to defeat a serpent creature with thousands of legs, sharp teeth and a pair of wings that looked far to tiny to carry it. Her barrier's kept the serpent from landing a hit on her, or Shippou who she faithfully protected, and a single arrow slicing through the demon's neck left it motionless.

Miroku fought a lizard with thick skin and a backside covered in spiny horns. The demon shot venom from it's mouth, and used it's tail like a whip but made the mistake of letting the hunter get underneath it where it's soft belly was defenseless. Miroku delivered a death dealing stab to the demon's heart before leaping out of the way as it collapsed on top of him.

"That was exciting," Hoshi said, slinging her quiver over one shoulder as the five regrouped. They all exchanged tired looks before suddenly remembering the red-eyed stranger who had warned them of the approaching attack.

He was gone.

"That's odd," Miroku said, moving his halberd to the straps on his back and shoulders. "Why would he leave?"

"We could have gone together…" Kohaku pointed out.

"It doesn't matter," Inuyasha reminded them, "We'll find him when we get there, we can't afford any more distractions today. Let's move."

The group silently obeyed and followed their leader back towards the path. None of them cared to look towards the trees where the man they had met only moments before stood on a single branch.

"Foolish humans," he said, his lips pulling back in a toothy smirk. "Their pathetic emotions are so easily controlled," he paused, "that half demon, she is much more willful than the others. I wouldn't expect anything less; she's just like her mother."

Then he turned on the branch and jumped, disappearing into the trees.

…

_AN: Dun, dun, dun…evil shows his ugly face at last! *insert evil laugh here*_

_Anyway, I know it's short, especially for how long you guys waited, but its better than nothing, right? Right? Like I said, the next chapter is half way done because I split them into two, so it shouldn't take as long to get here. for now, I leave you with this— _

_**Chapter 14 preview: The Southern Kingdom Part 2 **_

"_Sesshoumaru," Kagome said, coming up beside him, her head bowed slightly. "Inuyasha hasn't been told…" Two pairs of golden eyes snapped to her and she squirmed under each of the equally threatening gazes before averting her own to the ground. _

"_Is this true?" Sesshoumaru asked, then turning back to face the swordsman, still struggling to stand after his painful meeting with the wooden floors. _

_Inuyasha scowled at him, "I don't know what she's talking about…" he growled. _

_The room was silent for a moment before Sesshoumaru replied, "I see." He said, "Your father failed to tell you of your own abilities."_

_Exciting, right? Happy holidays to all, don't forget to review! _

_Toodles! – K _


	14. Chapter 14

_AN: Now you know why I broke this chapter up a little bit…dies. Anyway, I think I need to stop telling you guys approximately when I think the next chapter will be up because I never make my deadline. The end of this chapter gave me some real trouble, but it's finally done, I hope you enjoy reading it! :) _

_As always I appreciate all of those who have and continue to review for me. Thanks for your support, I totally wouldn't still be doing this without all of you—you're super awesome! :) _

_**FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ASKED…. Sango and Kirara will arrive shortly, possibly as soon as the next chapter, no promises though. **_

_PS. Sesshoumaru's never ending battle continues…is that white thing his tail? A boa? A built in blanket/pillow combo? A super-secret weapon that's so deadly it— _

…_Whatever. _

**Chapter 14: The Southern Kingdom Part 2**

The castle sat proudly atop the highest hill in the southern kingdom, heavy stone walls supporting five levels that stretched out for hundreds and thousands of meters. A second wall surrounded the huge building, multiple loopholes cut within the stones surface providing only a glimpse at the castle's impressive construction. The gate leading inside the courtyard was made of wood and looked too heavy for even a hundred human men to lift it, but only four guards stood beside it, all full blooded demons with heavily armored bodies, silver hair and brown eyes.

A simple village was laid out before the castle's defenses, its tiny wooden homes shrunken further by the sight of such a massive building towering over them. These homes were made for the families of soldiers who served directly under the dog lord Sesshoumaru and for craftsman and merchants that sold their services to both visitors and residents.

Among all of the kingdom's current occupants, only a handful of battle weary humans, strangers to those who lived within the barrier, passed through. Humans were a rare sight here, and they came accompanied by a fairy and another woman, who at first glimpse looked to be a demon but upon closer inspection of her scent and aura, turned out to be half human as well making the them even more of an odd sight. Suspicious stares were the only thing offered to welcome them within the village, but they were mostly ignored, and for that they were glad. Tired, sore and dreaming of a comfortable bed and warm meal, Inuyasha and his companions eagerly approached the gate oblivious to a pair of frozen golden eyes watching them from the castle's highest window.

Sesshoumaru watched the group slip through the village streets, dodging dirty looks and persistent sellers as they went. A deep frown occupied his mouth as he turned away from the window, his long silver hair brushing his face as he moved.

He wore mostly white robes of silk with a decorative red design on one shoulder and at the end of each of his heavy sleeves. Armor covered most of his chest, and a boa made of soft white fur that matched his mane fell over his shoulder and down his back, dusting across the floor. His face, which was hidden slightly by the shadows, was decorated by a purple crescent moon and two maroon stripes, markings given to him by his parents.

His sensitive hearing picked up the sound of approaching footsteps and he lifted his head to gaze softly upon his wife as she entered the room. She smiled at him, lifting her red and white fan to hide her painted lips in a delicate manner, "Good evening, Sesshoumaru…"

For a brief moment the corners of his lips turned upward in a smile, but it disappeared before even he could notice. "Kagura," he replied, turning back to the window.

The woman behind him looked almost human, it was only her pointed ears and her eyes the color of blood that gave her away. Her thick black hair was pulled back into a bun and decorated by two white feathers and she was dressed in a horizontally striped maroon and white layered kimono with a yellow obi around her waist.

"Well?" she asked, "How do I look?"

"Beautiful." The lord replied, not bothering to turn from his position. Seconds later he felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around his shoulders and a gentle breath brushed his cheek.

"What's wrong?"

"It is none of your concern."

"I'm your wife." The woman replied bluntly, "of course it is." She lifted her head to see one golden eye staring back at her and smiled. "You're frustrated with the half demon, Kagome. Am I right?"

Sesshoumaru turned back to the window. "She is failing to commit to her duties. The northern kingdom will fall without a leader."

"I've heard the wolf demon, Koga has taken over." Kagura said, "He does have royal blood so he is capable of holding the title as long as no one challenges him…and wins."

"That pathetic bastard is not deserving of the position. He does not know how to lead."

Kagura smirked at this, pulling away from their embrace and stepping forward to stand next to her husband. "Watch out, Sesshoumaru, someone might take that as a compliment towards Kagome…" she teased.

"A half-breed such as herself is no better, but her sister cannot be trusted and so we are forced to rely on her." Sesshoumaru explained, turning to give his wife a sidelong glance. "She carries the blood of a god, perhaps if she were to find another god willing to take her as their mate…"

Kagura nodded, and then turned at the sound of a gentle knock on the door. "Come in."

A second later the shoji screen moved to reveal a tall, thickly armored dog demon. His hair long and white, the same as Sesshoumaru's but pulled into a bun. He opened warm, brown eyes as he rose from his bow. "My apologies from interrupting," he said, "I have come to inform you that your guests have arrived, my Lord."

Sesshoumaru nodded, not moving from the window. "You may go, Itsamu."

The dog demon bowed once more before disappearing behind the shoji screen.

Kagura watched him go, enjoying the comfortable silence that fell between herself and her mate for a moment before turning back to him. She touched his shoulder gently, leaning up to brush her lips over one striped cheek before turning. "Try not to be too hard on them." She teased as she headed towards the door, "I will make sure the servants have prepared the rooms and meet back with you in the entrance hall." Then she was gone.

Sesshoumaru's face darkened slightly as he saw the heavy wooden gate, held open only by two of the guards, and the six travelers that ducked inside. His gaze fell on the golden eyed swordsman, and then the sword at his hip.

_'Father…'_ The dog god thought, finally turning from the window and making his way towards the door. _'I will never understand why you gave a human such power. That sword should have belonged to me.'_

…

Inuyasha lead the way past the castle's double doors following two of the well-dressed guards who had met them at the gate. Kohaku, Miroku, Shippou, Kagome and Hoshi followed shortly after him, and the second of the four guards followed after them, slamming the doors closed behind them.

The castle's interior was no less impressive then the outside had been, in fact, if possible it seemed even larger from the inside. The floors were made from wood, a beautiful red chestnut in color, and the stone walls of the entrance hall were decorated by portraits of dog monsters, similar to the ones Inuyasha's team had fought at the barrier's entrance.

"So you have finally arrived," a gentle voice, unmistakably that of a female and as soft as a gentle summer's breeze brought Inuyasha and his companions to the attention of the female demon standing before them, her crimson eyes judging them silently. After a moment of silence she sighed, turning to face one of a handful of servants and guards standing beside and behind her.

"Go find out what's taking him so long," she demanded before turning again to the group of travelers, all of which had ducked their heads in respect for the lady of the south. "I am Kagura," she told them, "Stand straight, and tell me why you are here."

Inuyasha scowled at her, even as he straightened from his bow. "You know why," he replied her, confused by her question, "To have the agreement signed, for the protection of the shikon no tama and my village."

Kagura raised a brow, watching with amusement as the disrespectful swordsman was put in his place by a fairy not even one tenth his size. "One would think you could find a nicer way to ask," She replied, "We can refuse our services anytime."

Before Inuyasha could reply with a no doubt rude comment, another man from his group stepped in front of him. "Kagura-sama," he greeted her, clapping his hands together in front of him and bowing his head to take on the posture of a beggar, "I humbly apologize for my friends rudeness, I come to warn you about a demon named, Naraku, I fear he is trying to resurrect his brother, Onigumo by collecting the three treasures, one of which you protect…I would be eternally grateful if you would provide me with an army, to avenge my people who were murdered by him."

Kagura's gaze fell upon the demon hunter and she frowned, "We have heard of the destruction of your village, human." She told him, "You will have to speak with my husband about this matter, he will decide if your story is worth his time."

Miroku winced. "I appreciate your consideration." He whispered before returning to stand beside his brother.

The wind-witch then turned her attention to a small, green-skinned and wrinkled creature hopping impatiently from foot to foot at her side. She narrowed her eyes on him, "What is it, Jaken."

He was barely a foot tall and dressed in robes the color of mud, waving a two-headed staff about as he bounced up and down. He looked up at her with giant yellow eyes and fell to his knees in a bow, "I came to inform you, the lord, Sesshoumaru-sama is on his way!" he squawked.

"Really?" The wind-witch asked, now smirking as she turned to face the dog lord who had already arrived, "you really are useless, Jaken."

The little imp looked as if he could protest, but a firm look from Sesshoumaru as he stepped out of the shadows silenced him immediately.

"Kagura," Sesshoumaru's cool, icy voice greeted her as he came to stand beside her. His equally cold gaze fell on the newcomers as they once again bowed in respect of the southern god. His eyes fell on the same, golden eyed man that he had spied through his window earlier, a stranger, and yet somehow familiar at the same time. After all, they were brothers in a sense, the human carried a single drop of his father's blood.

"Takahashi, Inuyasha…" he said, seeing the question in the boy's eyes as he lifted his head to stare back at him. "Draw your sword."

"Eh?" Inuyasha asked, his expression comical as he stared back at the lord with wide eyes, but he didn't hesitate a moment longer when he saw the god leap towards him with amazing speed, one hand on the hilt of his own weapon.

He barely had time to draw his sword and throw it in front of him protectively to shield him from the oncoming attack. The metal of the two blades met with a hiss, and pain ripped through Inuyasha's body as he was forced back nearly fifty feet.

His eyes met with those of the dog god, cold and hard, and he sputtered at him, "Wh-what in the hell are you doing?"

"You do not have the right to wield such a blade, weakling," Sesshoumaru replied, giving no explanation to his actions, only pushing further on Inuyasha's body until he had nearly collapsed from the pressure.

"Are you so foolish to believe that just because a single drop of blood runs through your veins you are strong enough to carry around such a weapon?" He pressed harder and succeeded in bringing the man to his knees, "you have no clue what the Tetsusaiga is capable of."

Inuyasha grimaced but somehow found the strength to stand, biting back a furious growl as he pushed the dog lord back slightly. "What are you talking about?" he snapped at him, all efforts to show respect to the god as he had been taught vanishing from his mind. "Toutousai was the one who made the Tetsusaiga—how would you know anything about it?"

"Your village sword smith created the weapon," Sesshoumaru agreed, "but it was my father who's own fang was used." He paused for a minute, feeling the way his blade, Tenseiga, pulsated beneath his fingers. It too was created using one of his father's fangs, and recognized Tetsusaiga as it's brother. Inuyasha seemed to have noticed it too, and stared down at his own weapon in shock.

"Do you not even know of your own weapon's creation?" The dog god asked, "Or of the blood that is inside you? My father's idiocy is the only reason you are capable of the things you are, however pathetic they may be—"

Inuyasha silenced him with a rather impressive snarl then, his golden eyes flashing as he forced the dog god off of him with an unexpected burst of strength. "I don't know what in the hell you're talking about," he snapped, "but the Tetsusaiga belongs to me, it was given to me by my father. Try and take it from me, I'll rip you apart using the wind scar!"

Sesshoumaru looked murderously back at him. He reached out with lightning fast movement and wrapped his long fingers around the sword's hilt, using the man's firm grip on it to his advantage and tossing them both across the room.

"Inuyasha-sama," Kohaku cried, finally kicking his body into action and running across the hall to come to his friend's aid. He was followed shortly by Miroku and Shippou, both equally as worried about their friend's safety.

Inuyasha sat up, easing his friend's worries with a mouthful of colorful words. They stepped back so that he could stand, albeit on shaking legs, and glare back at the one who had thrown him.

Silence filled the hall for a moment, all too shocked of scared to break it. Finally it was Kagome who stepped up beside the dog lord, eyeing Inuyasha carefully before lifting her gaze to the god beside her.

"Sesshoumaru," she started uneasily, "he hasn't been told…"

Two pairs of golden eyes snapped to her and she squirmed uncomfortably under their both angry and threatening gazes before averting her own to the floor.

"Is this true?" Sesshoumaru asked, turning back to face Inuyasha.

Inuyasha scowled at him, "I don't know what she's talking about…"

The room was silent for a moment before Sesshoumaru replied, "I see." He said, "Your father was too much of a coward to tell you of your own fate."

Inuyasha snorted. "And I'm sure you know everything…"

"Silence, boy," Sesshoumaru demanded, "I know more about your past then it seems you do yourself."

"Then tell me!" Inuyasha yelled at him, sheathing his sword and instead raising an angry fist as he took a few unsteady steps forward. He was either unafraid or unaware of the incredulous looks he was receiving from the surrounding servants, guards and even his own companions. No one had ever dared to speak to the southern god with such arrogance, as if they were his equal, and this man had come to represent a village asking for his protection.

When Sesshoumaru did not grace him with an answer Inuyasha continued, taking another step forward, "Tell me!" he demanded, "you know don't you? Everyone does—I'm sick of being left in the dark!"

"I do not owe you any explanations." Sesshoumaru replied, "Although you are correct in your assumption, it is only you that has been left unaware."

"Unaware of what?" the swordsman pressed.

Silence filled the hall once more until Kagura stepped up beside her husband, looking no more pleased with the man's rude behavior then he did. "Have you never wondered why your eyes are that color?" she asked curtly, "Or maybe you were too stupid to notice…"

"Of course I noticed," Inuyasha replied, turning his scowl on her, "I got them from my father, his are the same color…"

"Only because he went through the same ritual you did." Kagura told him, sighing at the sight of his puzzled stare. Someone had to tell him, and she knew better than to think her husband would be one to hand out such lengthy explanations, especially to someone so ill-mannered. It didn't look like Kagome had any intentions of slipping the truth to her companion either, if her grim expression was anything to go by. She stood on the other side of the wind-witch, her eyes still on the wooden floor.

"Golden eyes are not something you would normally see in a human." She told him, "You may have also realized…you heal faster, your skills on the battle field, endurance, strength and agility, are superior to other humans, even those that may have had more training. You most likely have heightened senses as well. This is all because of a single drop of blood."

"What are you getting at?" Inuyasha grouched, still lost as to where this explanation was going.

"Listen carefully," She continued as if she hadn't heard him, "we call it the blood ritual, have you ever heard of such a thing?"

Inuyasha grunted as he thought this over. It sounded so familiar, as if someone had explained the process to him once before, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He shook his head, "no."

"It isn't surprising that you wouldn't remember," Kagura told him, "it consists of a sharing of blood, from one to another, a blood transfusion." She looked him dead in the eyes then, "and it was performed on you years ago…"

This time Inuyasha remained silent and waited for her to continue, "It's usually deadly. We've estimated that perhaps one in one thousand humans are strong enough to survive it. You and your father were both two of the lucky ones that did." she waved her fan carelessly in his direction, sending a gentle breeze through the hall. "Sesshoumaru's father only agreed to give you one drop of blood, because you were so young…but it clearly was enough to have an effect on you…"

Inuyasha stared back at her; a thousand expressions touching his face as the new information began to sink in. The hall was silent again as everyone watched him with baited breath, waiting for his reaction. Finally he stumbled back, his mouth opening and closing to form words that refused to come.

"No…" he choked after a moment, looking from the two southern leaders, to Kagome, and then to the rest of his companions. Kohaku and Miroku looked as shocked as he did, but everyone else seemed unsurprised.

"Father would have…told me…" he managed then, but he took the words back as soon as they came. _'He wouldn't have,'_ his mind barked back, _'he's too much of a conceited bastard to explain such a thing…' _

"Your father is a fool." Sesshoumaru told him bluntly, "He begged my father for his blood because of his own weakness, and then forced the same fate on you, hoping you would survive and carry the same sword he did." the god then turned to the green-skinned imp at his feet, "Jaken."

"Y-yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," he replied, coming out from behind his master's legs and looking up at him. "How may I be of service, my lord?"

"Take them to their rooms," the dog god replied, "You may wait there and retrieve them once the dinner has been finished."

"Yes, my lord…" Jaken answered, then turned his giant yellow eyes on the group, scowling at them as if they were the dirt bellow his feet. "Follow me," he ordered, turning away from them as he made his way down the hallway.

Kagome and Hoshi trailed after him obediently, followed shortly by Miroku. Kohaku hesitated a moment, looking over his shoulder at Inuyasha, who's eyes were still glazed with shock.

"Inuyasha-sama?" He asked softly, "Umm…Inuyasha-sama, everyone else is leaving…"

Inuyasha blinked, turning to face Kohaku and offer him a jerky nod before stumbling after him.

The group was led through winding halls, up several flights of stairs and past hundreds of doors before they finally came to a stop beside a row of bedrooms, each hidden behind a simple shoji screen. "These are your rooms," Jaken announced, looking back at them, "I will return to gather you when the food is ready. You are not to leave here until then."

The imp paused at every door, depositing each of the travelers in their own separate room, even Shippou. He waited until they had all disappeared behind a closed shoji screen before moving on down the hallway to stand near the stairs and wait as he had been told. He didn't notice as one of the doors slid open and a figure stepped out, hesitating before disappearing down the hall in the opposite direction.

…

Kagome massaged her temples gingerly as she made her way down the stairs. Her head was still pounding from Miroku's poison gas, and the stress of the recent events didn't help either. Inuyasha probably hated her now. Not to say that he hadn't hated her to begin with. Maybe intense loathing would be a better description of the feelings she was sure he now harbored towards her.

'_Not like I care,'_ Kagome reassured herself, _'He's an arrogant, immature, reckless, stupid, thoughtless, pain in my ass…' _

Kagome was still listing off Inuyasha's undesirable traits in the back of her mind when she reached her destination, and was about to lift her hand and knock when the shoji screen was pushed out of the way. A pair of crimson eyes stared back into her startled blue ones.

"Perfect timing," Kagura said, stepping aside so that the hybrid could pass through the doorway. "I believe Sesshoumaru had some matters to discuss with you…"

Kagome nodded mutely as she passed Kagura and entered Sesshoumaru's study.

Sesshoumaru stood in front of a desk, his head bowed as he skimmed over a handful of scrolls spread across its wooden surface. He knew she was there, in fact he'd known she was on her way to see him before she'd even made it down the first flight of stairs back to the main floor. However the dog lord was quite content to let her wait while he finished his work, however long it might take.

Kagome had other ideas.

"You wanted to speak with me, Ojisama…?"

Sesshoumaru looked up from his paperwork to stare distastefully at Kagome. She had given him that nickname early on when she was only a pup. Even at such a young age she had immediately noticed that it bothered him. That, he suspected, was the only reason she continued to tease him with it even as a young adult.

"Kagome," He greeted before returning his gaze to the pages in front of him. He waited patiently until just before she opened her mouth to address him again and then spoke, "Why are you here?"

"Why…?" Kagome asked, confused, "Well…Kagura said you had something to—"

The god interrupted her, "That is not what I meant. Why are you here in the southern kingdom, traveling with a pack of humans…" he glared at her, "When you should be heading north to win back what is rightfully yours?"

Kagome squirmed under his glare, "Well it…" she started, "It was mother's idea that I led after her to begin with, I never wanted to have any part of it…I still don't…"

"Don't be a fool." Sesshoumaru said, "Your mother did not choose you as her heir because she wanted to, she had no choice. Kikyou has shown disloyalty in the past and is not to be trusted with such a position. Koga is no better, and on top of that he is not a god. He has no right to lead the north. Do you realize what you have already allowed to happen by ignoring your responsibilities?"

Kagome nodded meekly, "I heard." She whispered, "Hoshi told me…that some of the wolves are rebelling…"

"All of the wolves are rebelling," the dog lord corrected, "And Koga has called in his pack to take their place. The northern kingdom will fail under his pathetic leadership if something is not done."

"I know." Kagome said, reciting the same words she had been told so many times, "the four kingdoms are meant to be ruled by gods and have been for thousands of years. No demon is welcome to lead in their place…"

Sesshoumaru stayed silent.

"But I'm not a god either, remember?" Kagome snapped, recalling those who had strongly opposed her mother's decision to make a mere half demon the heir to the north. "I'm just a half breed! It wasn't so long ago that I was considered unfit to lead the north…because of my blood…"

"Do not misunderstand," Sesshoumaru told her dully, his eyes drifting back to the papers in front of him, "if we had another choice, then you would be relieved of your duties immediately, but for now you are considered more welcome then either Koga or Kikyou."

Kagome growled unconsciously as she thought this over. _'Damn you, Sesshoumaru' _her mind hissed, _'I want to live my own life, not that which was chosen for me by my mother! I never wanted to have anything to do with this—but Kikyou, she had to go and destroy that village…' _

Kagome remembered the look of horror on her mother's face when she saw the destruction Kikyou had caused. Ironically, the ruler of the north had been blessed with two daughters, neither of which wanted to be her heir. When Kikyou was told she had no choice in the matter, she had acted out by attacking a village of innocents close to the northern barrier. She burned their houses to the ground and mercilessly killed everyone, even the children, in order to prove herself unworthy of such a role.

The then ruling god of the north was forced to reconsider her eldest daughter's position, and finally remove her from the ranks. After that the wolf god scored all of Japan looking for a suitable replacement, but when she found none she was given no other choice then to turn to her youngest child, a decision Kagome, along with the rest of the gods firmly disapproved of.

Technically Kagome only would have had to burn down a village or kill a few innocent bystanders to get out of it. But she had never had a taste for human blood like her sister did. Kikyou had taken after her father and learned from his careless ways of killing whoever opposed him. He even killed for the pleasure of killing and the taste of the blood as he licked it from his claws. Kagome however had learned from her mother to keep the peace as best she could and protect those weaker than her.

The god's were expected to kill of course, and Kagome's mother had done so regularly, but never without a good reason. As Kagome had been reminded so many times, the four kingdoms had been established for the protection of Japan and to maintain the balance between everything that lived there.

"You have until tomorrow night."

Kagome was dragged from her thoughts by Sesshoumaru's next words and lifted her head to look at him with a humorously confused expression. "Eh?"

"Do not make me repeat myself." Sesshoumaru demanded, knowing she'd heard him and continuing, "Inuyasha will be leaving the morning after for the western kingdom. I expect you to go north and remove Koga from his position. If you try and run away again I will have Itsamu personally escort you. "

Kagome hesitated a moment before answering, ever so reluctantly, "Right…I understand."

"Good." Sesshoumaru replied, and then looked passed the hybrid, "Isa…"

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Kagome jumped and spun to face the woman standing behind her. The half demon had apparently been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the younger demon's arrival.

Isa was one of the few servants there that Kagome knew. The young dog demon had been one of Kagome's few friends growing up, but they had not seen each other since they were both only pups. She didn't look much different from any of the other demon's residing in the castle. Her hair was white and braided behind her back, her eyes a warm and welcoming brown and her clothes made of the finest silks.

The dog demon ducked her head shyly, "Kagome-sama," she greeted, "it is good to see you."

"Isa," Sesshoumaru called again, gaining back the attention of both women. "You will escort Kagome to the dining hall, I believe dinner should have been served by now."

"Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama." The brown-eyed demon replied, stepping aside so that Kagome could pass through the door ahead of her before she slipped out.

…

By the time Kagome reached the dining area the meal had already been served and distracted as they were by the abundance of delicious food laid out before them, the hybrids fellow traveling companions barely noticed her arrival. It had been a long time since any of them had had food of such quality. It looked good, it smelled great and it tasted even better.

The southern dog god and his wife did not grace the group with their presence. Instead, a handful of higher ranking guards and servants stood around the table, prepared to offer help where and when it may be needed. Among them were Isa, Itsamu and the little imp, Jaken.

Kagome took a seat in between Inuyasha and Shippou, who was far too busy stuffing his face full of tasty meat and dumplings to bother greeting her. Inuyasha didn't notice her either, but it wasn't because he was absorbed in the food, in fact he hadn't touched it. Instead he stared listlessly into the soup bowl on his plate, unmoving.

'_Can't blame him…'_ Kagome thought as she brought her own bowl, filled with a gracious amount of miso soup, to her lips and took a sip. Her eyes then fell on the younger hybrid, whose greedy fingers were now reaching for her plate of fish. A threatening growl deterred him, and he chose to crawl across the table in order to take Inuyasha's instead. The swordsman didn't even bat an eye.

Kagome sighed and exchanged a look with Hoshi who sat directly across from her. The fairy shrugged, and then gave a reassuring smile before returning to her food. The half demon turned to her fish, lost in her thoughts.

'_Why is this bothering me so much?'_ she thought, digging into the meat without any sense of femininity. _'It's not like we're friends or anything, so it shouldn't bother me, right? We're just traveling together…hell; we won't even be doing that after tomorrow. We'll probably never see each other again.' _

"Don't look so glum boy," Jaken said, waddling over to where Inuyasha sat and waving his staff at the boy rudely. Apparently he had also noticed the man's lack of gusto, but was not intending to be polite about it. "It is a great honor to have the same blood as the lord Sesshoumaru-sama running through your veins," he continued, "be proud."

Kagome snorted, "You think you could remain calm if you were suddenly informed that you weren't what you thought?" she asked him before she could stop herself.

"He should be proud!" Jaken squawked back at her angrily, "He carries the blood of a god!"

'_Really?'_ Kagome thought wearily, _'I'm not proud, and I have more than Inuyasha…' _

"It's true." Itsamu pointed out from his post beside the door, "even just a drop increases his strength, stamina, senses and ability to heal…"

"See? See that?" Jaken continued, pointing an accusing finger at the hybrid, "even he understands! The boy is insulting Sesshoumaru-sama by not appreciating the blood ritual! He should be on his knees thanking him!"

Kagome growled, swatting at him with a clawed hand. "You stupid little toad…"

"Kagome, don't bother fighting with him," Hoshi said, snapping her chopsticks at the pair from across the table, "His respect for Sesshoumaru-sama is borderline obsessive, you should know that…"

"Maybe he won't be so obsessive if I knock some sense into him…" Kagome countered, closing her hand into a fist and bringing it dangerously close to the imp's head.

"Kagome-san…don't…" Kohaku protested from his seat beside the fairy.

"How dare you threaten me, you ungrateful halfling! You too should be on your knees!" Jaken spat, and with that, Kagome hit him. "Why you—"

"Ha!" Kagome grinned down at the little imp as he clutched the new lump on his head. "How do you like that?"

"Shut up."

Kagome twitched, and then turned along with the rest of the dining room's residents to face Inuyasha as he stood up. His hands gripped the edge of the table so firmly that the wood splintered under the pressure. With a deep breath he bowed his head, letting his eyelids flutter closed for a moment while he regained his composure.

Seconds past, and the only sound were Jaken's soft grumbles as he continued to massage his bruised skull. Finally raising his head again, Inuyasha turned to his companions, "I…" he started, "I think I'll retire early tonight…" he told them, and then turned to go.

His teammates watched him disappear sympathetically. They all knew better then to think it was from a single drop of blood that he was so frustrated, so lost. He also felt betrayal, from his father for never telling him of the blood and perhaps even from his own teammates for doing the same.

The silence continued throughout the rest of the meal. Not even Jaken spoke up again after receiving a few meaningful looks from Kagome and also from his fellow servants. Eventually the group excused themselves one by one and retired to their own bedrooms.

"Goodnight Oniisan," Kohaku said, bowing shyly to his older sibling before slipping past the shoji screen and disappearing into his bedroom.

Miroku watched him go before continuing down the hall to his own bedroom. He paused when he spotted Kagome standing just outside Inuyasha's door, which was on the way to his with a pensive look in her eyes. Her head was cocked to one side slightly and her ears twitched towards the room as if she were trying to eavesdrop. Something the hunter figured would not be difficult at all for her to do.

He smiled and stepped up beside her, carefully making sure to keep enough distance between them for Kagome's comfort. The hybrid had already made it clear that she did not enjoy his company. Not even a little bit.

"Why don't you talk to him?"

Kagome flinched and turned to snarl at him, taking a handful of steps backwards to distance herself from his potentially roaming hands, if nothing else. "What do you want? You perverted—"

Miroku settled her with an apologetic look. "I do humbly apologize for the advances I made, if it makes any difference to you I promise to never do so again…" she continued snarling and he sighed, realizing that friendship with the hybrid would not be gained so simply he returned to his original thought. "I believe you do, on some level, understand Inuyasha's position, do you not?"

Kagome fell silent and stared back at him blankly. "What?"

"You are both human and demon, part of both worlds." He explained, receiving a dumb nod from the hybrid in front of him, "Inuyasha is no longer human either," he pointed out then, "I can only imagine that it would be very confusing to, as you said, be suddenly informed that you were not what you thought."

"Well, yeah…" Kagome admitted, "but I was born this way…he was made into what he is by no choice of his own."

"But did you really choose to be conceived by parents of different species?"

Kagome remained silent, but the frustrated look in her eyes was enough for Miroku to know that she had understood his meaning.

"At any rate, you certainly can relate to being different than others. You are not human, you are not demon. Instead you belong to a very small population of individuals that are often ridiculed for just being who they are." He continued, "That is what Inuyasha must be going through. Although it is only from a single drop of demon blood, he is no longer one of us. Aside from that…he feels the betrayal of his own father."

'_He's right,'_ Kagome thought, although she hated to admit it. Maybe the perverted hunter wasn't quite as bad as she'd originally made him out to be, but he was still far from trustworthy in her book.

"So then," Miroku offered, gesturing towards the still closed door.

"I'll think about it." Kagome bit out.

Miroku smiled, "good," he said, and then made his way around her and to his own bedroom, "Goodnight, Kagome-san."

Kagome waited until he was gone and even long after that before resting her hand on the wooden frame of Inuyasha's door and sliding it open slightly. He was there, standing on the balcony and looking over the southern kingdom with his elbows leaning heavily on the railing and his left cheek resting lazily against one hand. He hadn't noticed her yet, or if he had, he made no move to acknowledge her presence.

With a sigh she slipped through the door and then slowly slid it back into place. Inuyasha remained pleasantly oblivious until she cleared her throat softly, her gaze falling to the floor as he turned to glare at her.

"How long have you been there?" He demanded, rising away from the railing and passing through the curtain that separated the bedroom from the balcony.

"Not long." She answered truthfully.

Inuyasha eyes narrowed on her stationary form, waiting for her to continue. When she remained silent he turned towards his futon. "If you have nothing to say then get out," he told her, "I'm going to sleep."

She remained silent for a moment, watching as he made his way across the room, stripping out of his haori as he went and reaching for the yukata that had been folded neatly on the bed.

"Are you angry?" she asked just as he took a seat on the bedding.

He stared back at her, surprised. "What?"

"You know…" she hesitated again before looking up at him, "because…I knew about the blood ritual. I guess I just didn't know how to—"

"I'm not angry at you, if that's what you mean." Inuyasha interrupted.

She stared at him, unconvinced. "You're not?"

"I said I wasn't, didn't I?" he asked grumpily, "I just…I'm not sure how I feel right now…" he admitted with a sigh, "Is that all you wanted?"

"Uh," Kagome still looked doubtful, but nodded her head anyway, "Yeah, that…that was it…"

Inuyasha raised a questioning eyebrow in her direction. "You sure?"

Kagome opened her mouth to respond but then paused and moments later her jaw snapped shut. She glared at him. "Of course," Kagome she said with a disdainful sniff. "What else would I want?"

That said, she turned and slid the shoji screen out of her way, disappearing past it before it was closed again. Inuyasha watched her go, waiting until the sound of her retreating footsteps had faded until he stood, disrobing from his fire rat robes and changing into the yukata that had been provided for him. He collapsed back on the bed seconds later with a huff, folding his arms behind his head comfortably and tracing the lines on the ceiling with his eyes.

'_Stupid father…'_ he thought to himself angrily, _'what was he thinking?'_

…

Kagome cleared the steps in one easy leap. She didn't miss a beat afterwards either, quickly rising from a crouch and sweeping over the wooden floor with fast, long strides. Her already existent scowl deepened at the sight of Jaken rushing towards her.

"There you are!" he berated as he came to a stop in front of her. "Itsamu is looking for you. He awaits your presence in the training hall. You are to go immediately."

Kagome thought this over for a minute, _'the training hall, huh? That might be a good spot to let off some steam…'_ she thought, and then her blue eyes fell to the imp waiting impatiently for her response. "Fine," she told him with a grin, "I'll be there."

She then took off again, but not without making sure to leave a dark footprint on the imp's bald head before leaving.

A handful of minutes later she arrived at one of two doors leading into the training hall. Not bothering to announce her presence or even so much as knock for that matter, she slipped in and made her way across the floor to where Itsamu stood.

Itsamu was currently in the middle of a lesson with a large group of his students, teaching them in the art of weaponry, his specialty. The demons ranged in age from adults to children not any older than Shippou. Kagome knew better than to think any of them were unskilled for their age. All of Itsamu's students, no matter what age, were at the top of their level. After all, Sesshoumaru would accept nothing else from those to be warriors of the southern kingdom, and neither would Itsamu.

Each one of the dog demons lined up in front of Itsamu held a rusted and battle weary weapon in their sweaty palms. The weapons looked as if they had been plucked from the bloodied battle field of some human army, their points stained crimson, and dulled from overuse. Even Tetsusaiga in it's untransformed state would look like something special in comparison, but these weapons were not meant to be fancy. They were for training only.

Itsamu's students directed nervous gazes to Kagome as she casually approached their teacher. She ignored them, waving nonchalantly to the weapon's master as he turned, "Hey, Itsamu," she called, "You wanted to see me, right? The little toad said so…"

"I did," he said, bowing respectfully to her and urging the others, now behind him, to do the same with a firm look. "It is always a pleasure, Kagome-sama."

With a growl of disapproval she stepped back, folding her arms across her chest and leveling Itsamu with a furious look. "Don't do that!" she ordered hastily, "you look stupid bowing to me. Besides, you know how I hate it…"

"My apologies, Kagome-sama," Itsamu said with a sigh, rising from his bow. "I was asked by Sesshoumaru-sama to see how you have progressed since your last visit."

"I was hoping you would say that," Kagome said and gave him a toothy grin. "A good fight will settle my nerves for sure."

Itsamu stood back and watched his once student carefully as she dropped her arms to her sides and went about cracking a few loose joints in her back, shoulders and neck. She had certainly grown since he'd last seen her. Then again, that had been years ago when she was only a pup, many years younger than any of his current students in fact.

Per her mother's request, Kagome had started her training very early. Some of her first lessons came from Itsamu himself, when she had only just barely begun walking, and soon she was defeating others twice her age with ease. By the time she was the pre-teen equivalent of a human child she could take on any of her pack mates, most of her fellow students (even those at a higher level than her) and even several of her instructors, and win.

Of course having some of the best teachers in all of Japan and a strict and demanding mother didn't hurt. While many children might have failed under the rigorous training Kagome received as a youngster, she thrived in it. She became obsessed with gaining more power, and not just to please her mother. Fighting became her escape from the world, and the more power she had the better.

'_The only things that can defeat her now, aside from herself, are other gods and demons or humans with very high skill levels," _he thought,_ 'but…she still has much to learn. She's over one-hundred years old but she's still just a child.' _He narrowed his eyes on the smirking half demon in front of him, '_and just like a child she is still overconfident.' _

"Where is your scythe?"

"My scythe?" Kagome eyed him curiously, "It's back in my room. I didn't bring it."

The dog demon sighed and leveled her with a troubled look. "Kagome-sama," he started, "I've taught you better than that. You should take any opportunity to train with a new weapon. You need to know it's powers, it's strengths and weaknesses…it needs to become an extension of yourself to wield it properly."

Kagome shrugged. "I've got my claws and fangs to fight with." She hesitated then, "and who says it's that new? I haven't seen you for decades."

"I can tell by the way you hold it. You have not learned of it's true potential yet. Like the swords that Sesshoumaru-sama and Inuyasha carry…your scythe has abilities that you will have to realize on your own." He then turned back to the other's, waiting for his return patiently. "But as you wish, we will fight with our hands…like barbarians…"

"There's nothing barbaric about fighting with what I was given…" Kagome protested as she trailed after him eagerly. Her eyes fell over Itsamu's students and they stared back at her with the same nervous expressions from earlier. There had to be at least a hundred of them, and they all ranged in age and skill level.

'_This must be all of his trainees for the year…' _she thought, coming to a stop in front of them, beside Itsamu.

"You have all heard of Kagome-sama, half-god and daughter of the deceased ruler of the northern kingdom." Itsamu introduced the hybrid with a wave of his hand, and then sent her a sidelong glance as he said his next words. "She will be your opponent for the evening. I would like to see how all of you can stand up against the power of a highly trained half-god before Sesshoumaru-sama sees you."

"What?" Kagome barked, grabbing the weapon master's shoulder and roughly turning him to face her, "Hey Itsamu, I didn't come here to fight a bunch of your trainees—"

"What did you think I asked you here for?" Itsamu asked with a smirk.

"To fight with you, obviously…" the hybrid retorted glumly, sparing a glance at the group before looking back at their master. "Itsamu, you know I can beat any of them…"

"I do." Itsamu said, "But you can probably beat me by this time as well, so what's the difference?" when he saw her about to protest again he held up a hand to silence her, "A true warrior never underestimates their opponent. They could surprise you."

"I won't have all of them fight you. That could take all night, and it would be unfair to the children…" he continued as he turned back to face the group. None of his students looked any more thrilled with their master's decision to have them fight with a half god then Kagome did. He smiled at them reassuringly, and then singled out a handful of them, thirteen to be exact, to fight the hybrid. "You there, you three…" he said, "and the group on the left…you will fight her together."

The students he had chosen stepped from the mass quietly, leaving their weapons behind. Across from them, Kagome dropped into a crouch and settled them with an unimpressed look.

"Prepare yourselves. I won't be going easy on you." she warned, and waited patiently until they shifted into what she guessed were their ready-for-battle positions. Her eyes narrowed, her lips pulled back and then she lunged.

…

Several floors up Inuyasha had long since passed into the unconscious land of sleep, but it was not meant to be a peaceful place for him on that particular night. He groaned, tossing and turning on his futon as visions of his past flashed in front of his mind's eye. One hand grouped for his sword, but it lay just outside his reach in the pile of bed sheets that he had kicked away.

"Father…?" He rasped out.

…

"_Are you sure you want this, Takahashi-sama? He's only a boy…"_

"_Don't test me, Myoga." Takahashi, Taisho reprimanded, turning to face the nine year old boy seated next to him, his son. "Inuyasha is well on his way to becoming a man. I have no doubt that this is something he can endure." _

_The boy glanced up at him with a pair of questioning brown eyes. "Father?" _

"_Do you want to be stronger, Inuyasha?" Taisho questioned him, "Would you like to learn to wield the Tetsusaiga?"_

_The boy's eyes brightened and a grin broke out across his face. "Yes father!" he replied without the slightest hesitation, "but how?" _

_Taisho smiled proudly at his boy. "I will explain it all to you in time, Inuyasha. For now you must be patient…" he turned to look back at his longtime friend, Myoga, who glared at him from across the room. "Don't give me that look, Myoga." _

"_I am usually respectful of your decisions, Takahashi-sama…" Myoga started angrily, "but this is one that I never thought you would make. You could lose him." _

_Before the village leader could respond a tall, white haired man stepped through the door of their tiny hut, his cold golden gaze landing on Taisho and then drifting to Inuyasha. "Takahashi…" he said in a booming voice, "have you prepared him?" _

"_Yes my friend," Taisho replied, standing and dragging his son to his feet beside him before bowing deeply in front of the southern god and ordering his son to do the same with a look. "I am in your debt again, my lord." He told the dog god, "I do appreciate your willingness to share your blood with my family." _

_The white haired man ignored him; instead walking passed Taisho to stand in front of Inuyasha. He stared down at the boy with something that looked suspiciously like pity. "Have a seat my boy," he ordered, "are you ready to receive my blood?"_

_Inuyasha nodded and did as he was told, watching as the dog god knelt down in front of him. The god smiled and held out a hand to take one of his. Inuyasha obediently placed his hand in the god's clawed one, palm up. He winced slightly as the knife cut into his flesh, looking down at the blood that pooled there before turning questioning eyes on his father. _

_Taisho nodded to him reassuringly and Inuyasha's gaze fell again on the god as he cut open his own palm with the same knife. "It may be good for you to lie down now, son…" the god said, waiting for Inuyasha to follow through before reaching out his closed fist and allowing a single drop of his blood to fall into Inuyasha's cut. _

_At first nothing happened, and Inuyasha found himself confused as to what everyone had seemed so worried about. He remained on the floor as his father approached, bandages in hand which he used to wrap his son's wound. Then the three men sat back, anticipating something that Inuyasha could only guess. _

_Seconds later he cringed and cried out as pain ripped through his injured hand, traveling up his arm and to his chest with alarming speed. The pain only increased, and he sent his father a terrified look, letting a whimper slip past his lips. Then everything went black. _

…

Inuyasha bit down on a scream as he woke, flinging himself from the futon and landing roughly on the wooden floor beside it. A full minute passed before his stressed mind could register where he was. His dream, his nightmare, had been far too real for his liking.

"I'm…alive…" he told himself, sucking in a deep breath and letting it back out. He shifted until he was sitting back on the futon with his legs crossed before reaching for the Tetsusaiga and untangling it from the bed sheets. He rested it comfortably across his lap, running one finger along it's smooth black sheath. The presence of his sword was always a welcome and calming one.

Inuyasha's eyes eventually drew away from his blade and he turned to the door. He had managed to contain his final scream, but he had to wonder if his companions, particularly the ones with better hearing, had heard him.

'_That's the last thing I need…'_ he thought wearily, _'any of them barging in to see if I'm alright…'_

His eyes remained trained on the door for a moment more. When nothing came he turned his attention back to Tetsusaiga, and more importantly, his right hand.

'_That's right…in that…nightmare…' _he loosened his grip on the weapon enough to bring the palm of his right hand into view. Sure enough there was a scar several inches long that stretched horizontally along his skin. _'So it really did happen,'_ he thought, _'Damn it, what were you thinking, you foolish old man?' _

Inuyasha sighed and tore his eyes away from the long since healed wound. He climbed to his feet and grabbed blindly for his fire rat robes, disrobing from his yukata to change back into his normal clothes.

"_It's alright, son…"_ a voice drifted through his head as he changed, one he unconsciously recognized as the voice of the southern god, the one that had changed him. _"You'll be alright…I'm sorry…"_

He made his way to the door, pausing for a moment at the screen before sliding it open and passing through. He wanted answers to the thousands of questions he had rampaging through his head, but it would have to wait. There were still six to eight weeks of travel before he would return to his village, friends in toe, and see his family again. Once he got back he could confront his Father. For now though, a quiet walk through the castle halls would hopefully settle his mind.

He didn't see anyone until after he'd passed the first flight of stairs except Isa, who offered a gentle smile and nod as she passed him. She didn't try to stop him, or question his reasons for walking about so late at night, and for that he was grateful.

As he continued down the next set of stairs he listened to the sounds of battle as he grew closer and closer to the training hall. He turned towards the noise, his adrenaline already rising, but the sight of a sword held horizontally on the wall in between the two doors caught his attention first.

The sword was completely black in color from the point of it's blade to the pommel. As Inuyasha crept closer he admired the flawless weapon. There wasn't a scratch, dent or drop of blood anywhere on the blade; in fact it looked as if it had never been used. He glanced up and down the hallway once, as if expecting someone to stop him from approaching the weapon further. When nothing presented itself he hesitantly stepped closer again, pausing just in front of the sword and leaning down to read the inscription carved into the blade.

_Onigumo_

He nearly fell as he stepped quickly away from the weapon in shock, regarding it with wide eyes and a gaping jaw. _'This…this is Onigumo's blade? One of the three treasures Miroku was referring too?' _he thought, his head spinning, _'Why would they leave it out in the open like this? How foolish can they be?' _

Inuyasha felt his muscles relax on their own accord and frowned at the sudden urge to take a hold of the weapon swept through his body and down to his fingertips. His right hand twitched slightly and his feet moved on their own accord until he was standing back in front of the blade. 

"I wouldn't touch it if I were you…"

Inuyasha jumped, his body once again his own. He quickly backtracked and pressed his back firmly against the wall opposite Onigumo's blade, trying desperately to lower his heartbeat.

Hoshi chuckled at him. "What?" she asked, "did I startle you?"

"Of course not!" Inuyasha snapped, "but that blade…it…it's Onigumo's isn't it?"

The fairy nodded. "It is. It's protected here in front of the training hall where Sesshoumaru's men and women most skilled in defense and battle reside. This is where it has the best chance of being protected by anyone who might want to take it…"

She paused, eyeing him suspiciously for a moment before continuing. "Not as if just anyone could take it," she told him, "that blade chooses it's master. If it rejects you, you will be poisoned by Onigumo himself…and with poison like his running through your veins you wouldn't survive long enough for anyone to save you."

Inuyasha scoffed and folded his arms. "As if the blade could poison me just with a touch…" he reminded her, "Onigumo is dead."

"Believe what you want." Hoshi said with a shrug. Her normal carefree smile was back. "But I wouldn't try and touch it again. The blade is extremely sharp." She turned away then and wandered towards one of the doors, "I'm going to watch the fight. You can come too if you want."

"What fight?" Inuyasha asked, trailing after her curiously.

"Come and find out," was her only answer.

…

Kagome wiped a bit of blood from one cheek as she admired her work. Twelve out of the thirteen trainees that Itsamu had chosen for her to fight had collapsed on the ground. The last was still on his knees, but not for long. She smirked as he finally fell onto his belly with a groan, clutching his side where she had kicked him.

They had managed to put some damage on her. She had a thin slice across her right cheek, and a painful bruise on her left arm, but she was far from being beaten. Kagome turned back to Itsamu, arms crossed.

"I've done as you asked." She pointed out, "now fight me."

He smiled. "Patience, Kagome." He reminded. He then turned to address his students with half-lid eyes. "There was a purpose to having you fight with Kagome." He told them, "And it wasn't to relish in the sight of all of you being pounded into the ground by someone other than myself," the corner of his lip twitched slightly, "at least it wasn't meant to be."

The weapon's master was rewarded by a handful of heavy sighs and muffled complains from the thirteen who had only moments ago battled with the hybrid. The taunting laughter from their fellow students was not welcomed either.

With a sigh Itsamu raised a hand to silence them, "Listen, all of you. It is difficult not to become overly confident in your position. You have all been chosen to serve Sesshoumaru-sama because you are strong, you have much more than the average strength of someone similar to yourselves…" here his eyes narrowed, "however, one must never be too cocky in battle. Behavior like that will only end up getting you killed that much faster."

His students merely nodded and averted their eyes to the wooden floor shamefully. Itsamu's eyes drifted to Kagome, who sat on the ground nearby, arms and legs folded as she waited for him to finish his lecture. He raised an eyebrow at the hybrid. "Don't think that you are not guilty of this as well, Kagome…god's blood or not, there are still many opponents you will face that are strong enough to challenge you, and even kill you if you underestimate them."

The mentioned half god opened one eye to peek out at him, and then gave him a sheepish grin before closing it again. "I know, Itsamu." She reminded him, "I was your student once too you know, all of your lectures are the same…"

"That's because they are important ones."

"But we already knew we would be beaten, sensei…" one of the thirteen injured trainees protested, "Kagome-sama is far too fast. Why ask us to fight when we know we will lose?"

"Good question," Itsamu replied. "A god is not just powerful due to their blood. While that plays a large role in one's strength, training is also important. If one of you were to train long enough and hard enough, you could match Kagome in strength, or perhaps even beat her."

A disbelieving snort from Kagome and a room full of doubtful looks followed his explanation.

Itsamu smiled. "It is true. I asked you to fight so that you could have something to reach for. As future defenders of the southern kingdom you need to be strong."

His students remained silent and so, expecting no more questions from them he turned to Kagome. She had beaten his trainees easily, as he had expected her to do, but she had even gone above and beyond what he anticipated from her. Her speed was incredible as she weaved in and out of the way of dangerous claws, only getting hit twice. She had further proven herself by not leaving even a single drop of blood behind, showing that her own claws had not once touched one of her opponents.

"So can we move on?" Kagome asked, noticing his eyes had fallen to her.

Itsamu nodded to her, "Yes, get ready."

"About time," the hybrid said, jumping to her feet and moving towards him with long strides and a feral grin. Before she reached him, her smile left her face and her gait slowed until she had stopped completely. Her eyes and ears focused on the door she waited, along with the other demon's surrounding her, until the door slid open to reveal Hoshi and Inuyasha.

"What? We're not interrupting something are we?" Hoshi asked as she walked past the door frame and then stepped sideways to allow Inuyasha to come in behind her. Her smile fell on Kagome, and then Itsamu. "Do you mind if we watch?"

"Of course not, Hoshi," Itsamu said, returning her warm smile. He turned to Kagome, who didn't look nearly as happy about their presence as he. "Kagome and I were just about to have a friendly spar…"

"We'll stay out of the way then," Hoshi replied with a nod, taking Inuyasha's sleeve and dragging him towards the wall where Itsamu's trainees had gathered to watch.

"Don't I get a say in any of this?" Kagome barked, pointing one clawed finger at Inuyasha, "Why did you have to bring him along? He doesn't need to be here…"

"Hey!" Inuyasha barked back, instantly taking the bait. He tugged his sleeve from Hoshi's loose grip and marched over to the half demon, prodding her chest with one finger rudely. "Don't say it like that! I'm standing right here!"

Kagome deadpanned, "How should I say it then?" then after brushing his hand away, "You have no business being here. Weren't you going to sleep?"

"I can be wherever the hell I want! It's not like someone like you as any right to boss me around!" he replied.

Itsamu watched as the pair continued back and forth like young children, his brown eyes wide. He turned to look at Hoshi, as if asking for an explanation for their behavior, but the fairy seemed unbothered by their banter. She leaned casually against the wall behind her, her arms folded and her eyes drifting closed as she listened to them.

"Does he have any idea who it is he's talking to with those poor manners?" Itsamu asked as he stepped up beside her. "And he spoke to Sesshoumaru-sama in the same way earlier—is this really to be the future of Takahashi's village? What a foolish man"

"He is a fool." Hoshi agreed, "But then so is Kagome, so they really are perfect for each other."

Itsamu frowned. "You mean they're together? I didn't think Kagome had chosen a mate yet…"

"No, no…she hasn't. Not yet anyway." Hoshi told him, waving off his concern with ease. She smirked at Kagome then, who had ceased listening to Inuyasha's never ending threats and insults in order to send the fairy a disapproving look. She clearly did not appreciate their current topic of discussion. "Anyway," Hoshi continued, glanced up at the weapon's master, "Kagome hasn't told him, so I'm sure he has no clue."

"She hasn't told him?" Itsamu gasped in shock. His eyes flickered between the half demon, who had since dove back into her argument with Inuyasha and the fairy beside him. "What on earth does she plan to achieve from keeping such secrets?"

"I think she enjoys being treated like a normal person, that's all." Hoshi said honestly, and then with a chuckle, "not that Inuyasha would treat her otherwise, even if he knew…"

"That's enough!" Kagome's frustrated snarl immediately silenced all of the occupants within the training hall as she brushed past Inuyasha and marched towards her once-master. "Itsamu, I'm ready."

Itsamu smiled, turning to Hoshi and resting a hand on her shoulder. "It was good speaking with you again my friend," he told her, then passed the disgruntled hybrid on his way to the center where they would fight.

Kagome trailed after him. She stopped only once they had both reached their mark and settled into a crouch, waiting patiently for him to do the same. He did, and the two of them remained that way for a long time. They looked like two statues carved in stone, unmoving. Even the rise and fall of their chests as they breathed was barely noticeable.

It wasn't until long after Itsamu's students, at first having been eager to witness the battle between two skilled demons, grew bored that their dog demon master shifted slightly and stood. He smiled across the wooden battle field at his opponent.

"Your patience is much better, Kagome," he called to her, his voice slicing through the silence like a knife. His smile morphed into a smirk, "but no one will win a battle of strength with only that," he continued, and then he took flight, rushing towards her with his feet barely touching the ground.

His speed was incredible as he approached the motionless half demon, but it was still far from enough. A mere second before he would have crushed her Kagome stood and casually stepped out of the way.

Itsamu came to a sliding stop only a handful of feet after his missed target. He reached around as if to grab her but she skillfully ducked away from him before leaping into the air and landing behind him. The two clawed and snarled at each other, each dodging their fair share of would-be strikes before Itsamu's iron grip finally closed over Kagome's left wrist and held tight. She retaliated by burying her claws into his wrist and baring her fangs but he ignored the threat and used his grip to lift her off her feet and over his head, slamming her down onto her back.

A loud crack cut through the air as the floorboards splintered under Kagome's weight, but she was uninjured. Her claws still digging painfully into Itsamu's flesh, she used her hold to throw him over her and send him sailing towards the opposite wall. Itsamu spun through the air, landing feet first on the wall and using it as a springboard to shoot back towards her.

"Is that the best you can do?" he called to her, watching as she took another leap into the air as he flew towards her. He winced slightly as he realized her plan, and that he could do nothing to stop it.

She landed perfectly on top of him, forcing him to the ground with her weight and balancing precariously on his back while he slid to a stop on his belly. Kagome grinned down at him once he'd come to a stop, bending her knees and leaning towards him as she teased, "Is that the best _you_ can do, master?" she growled, "Really, Itsamu…I don't want you going easy on me. You know better."

"You're probably right…" He said with a smile and she leapt from his shoulders as he stood. He gave no warning as he turned and attacked and this time she didn't leap away. She met him halfway with her claws raised, swiping at him with the intent to draw blood. He held the same intensity within his hands and managed to give her a second bloody stripe on her cheek, right below the first, in the same instant that her fist crushed some of his armor.

"You're good," he commented, blocking one of her attacks aimed at his neck, "but are you good enough?"

"Shut up." Kagome growled, likewise blocking his fist, and then blocking a kick. "I know you're just trying to piss me off…that won't work."

"I won't deny that." Itsamu agreed, and then laughed as she snarled at him. "Are you sure it won't work? It used to do wonders for me…but that was back when you were my student…"

Kagome rolled her eyes, leaping away from his claws and once more landing behind him. Mere seconds before he could turn and block her, her claws dug into his shoulder where she had removed the armor earlier. Crimson blood ran over her finger tips as she twisted her talons beneath his flesh.

Itsamu caught the inside of his cheek in between his teeth as he turned to face her, barely noticing the way his skin was painfully ripped from her steady grip. He managed to grab her and force her to the ground, holding her down and raising his talons intent on stabbing her in the back. The half demon managed to buck him off before he had done any damage however, and she kicked him in the ribs as she rolled out of the way of his reach.

She didn't make it far enough. He had grabbed her again and once again pinned her to the ground. Itsamu had only long enough recognize the flash in her blue eyes before he had been kicked straight up into the air and enveloped in a huge fireball that had been sent up after him.

He landed a handful of yards from her in a crouch, his clothes and hair singed from the flames but otherwise unharmed from her heated attack. The half demon glared at him from a distance, her claws digging into the wooden floorboards.

"You bastard…" she growled, her eyes flashing again. Her fingers twitched slightly, and before the dog demon could respond he was dodging a wave of fire that blanketed the ground as it flew towards him, leaving the wooden floor black and smoking.

Itsamu leapt above the fire easily, but it twisted into the air and trailed after him, easily manipulated by his opponent. His eyes grew wide as he soon found himself in the middle of a burning tornado, the fire igniting one of his long sleeves before he leapt free of the hot trap.

He sent Kagome an unappreciative look as he landed, to which the hybrid only chuckled and prepared to send her next attack his way. The weapon's master quickly dodged a handful of fireballs flying towards him in rapid succession before he was able to get another clear shot at the half demon, and he took it. His eyes grew red as he charged and by the time he had tackled Kagome to the ground he no longer took the shape of a human, but a large, white haired dog.

His fur was thick, especially around his neck and over his spine, and his tail stood erect as he towered over her. He stood about as tall as a horse, an easily intimidating sight to most, but Kagome was unafraid and bared her fangs at him with a fierce growl that rivaled his.

"Get off me, fur ball," she spat, ducking her head away when he snapped at her face. After a few repetitions of the same act she was able to gain her freedom and put a good distance between herself and the giant dog.

"You think you can do better on four legs then two, eh?" Kagome called as she stood up, cracking her knuckles as she watched the man turned beast shift into a crouch again_. 'He has the advantage of brute strength now…and he's faster,'_ she thought, _'but he's also clumsy.'_

She didn't have time to think further as Itsamu lunged towards her again and she stepped out of his way, drifting across the floor as she continued avoiding him. "You're still too slow!" she taunted and with a single leap she sent herself somersaulting onto the dog's back, grabbing a hold of his thick mane of fur to keep herself on as he tried in vain to get her off.

'_**How dare you try and ride me like a horse!'**_ he barked at her in the canine tongue that only his students and the hybrid above him could understand. The capability of human speech left him once he transformed.

"Well you're the one who left yourself open," Kagome pointed out, eyes widening as Itsamu collapsed beneath her, rolling over onto his side and effectively trapping one of her legs underneath his body. "Why you stupid—"

He pulled away from her only to turn back and tower over her again, his jaws snapping dangerously close to her face and one paw pressed firmly against her belly to keep her from getting up. If it wasn't for her hands being free and holding tightly to his two upper canines he could have done some damage.

'_**Release me!' **_

Kagome only grinned back at him. He was quite literally laying on top of her, trapping her legs and upper body with his weight, but as long as she had control of his jaws there was nothing he could do to harm her.

"Better luck next time," she said with a wink, gripping the thick fur on his neck with one hand and lifting him up and over her head, slamming him into the ground above her head. She made it back to her feet and was about to deliver another blow to his upturned belly when a voice as gentle as the wind called out to her.

"Kagome," Kagura called, "Itsamu…"

Kagome turned to look at the lady of the southern lands, now standing in between Hoshi and Inuyasha. She fanned her face gently as she regarded the hybrid and still upturned dog demon with a smirk.

"The two of you are both far too stubborn to ever give in, you would both fight all night long before there would ever be declared a winner." She told them, "besides that…you look like a pair of bickering pups. It's pathetic."

"My apologies Kagura-sama," Itsamu said, having regained his footing and returned to his more human appearance upon Kagura's arrival.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she grumbled, wiping at the dried blood on her cheek in vain, "What are you doing here anyway? Did you need us for something…?"

"Oh, no," Kagura said, turning her gaze to the man on her left. "I actually came for Inuyasha."

"For me?" Inuyasha asked, looking just as surprised as his other companions. "What do you need me for?"

"I came only to retrieve you for my husband," Kagura said, folding her arms and settling him with a bored look. "Sesshoumaru would like to speak with you. I have no idea why, I am only the messenger."

"Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha scoffed, having quickly lost interest upon the mention of the dog god's title. He folded his arms beneath his giant red sleeves and turned up his nose. "Whatever he wants can wait until morning. That's when we'll be signing the agreement…"

"Inuyasha," Kagura said, snapping her fan shut and pointing it at him dangerously, "I would suggest you follow orders," the wind witch spared a look at Itsamu then, "otherwise I may have to result to forceful measures."

Inuyasha followed her gaze and frowned at the brown eyed demon, who returned his look with a promising one of his own. Itsamu was strong, strong enough to give Kagome a run for her money, although she had fared much better then he in the end, even after battling with thirteen of his top students prior. Not that that was what convinced the swordsman to follow Kagura's orders.

"Feh," he grouched, "Let's get it over with then."

With a nod of approval Kagura turned and led Inuyasha, Kagome and Hoshi, who had decided to tag along in order to satisfy their curiosity, down the hall to where Sesshoumaru waited. It wasn't a long walk considering the size of the castle. When they reached the doors to Sesshoumaru's study Kagura stepped inside, ordering Inuyasha and the others to wait outside. She returned moments later and slid the door open enough for them to step through.

"Sesshoumaru will speak with you now." She told them as they moved past her, "hurry up, he isn't a patient man."

As they stepped inside the found the southern god standing proudly beside the desk, his golden gaze regarding Kagome and Hoshi with curiosity for only a second. His eyes then flickered back to Inuyasha, the man who he had called for.

"Takahashi, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha raised a brow at the greeting, then tipped his nose back into the air and folded his arms. "Yeah," he said, "you wanted to see me?"

"I did," the god replied, and wasting no time with idle chit chat he spoke again, "Do you wish for the Tetsusaiga to become stronger?"

Inuyasha stumbled forward slightly but recovered quickly, turning wide eyes and a gaping mouth back on the southern lord. "What?"

"Do not make me repeat myself." Sesshoumaru replied coolly.

The mostly human's golden gaze narrowed sharply on the arrogant demon before him and he felt the urge to growl, but he was stopped by the sudden warmth at his left hip. His eyes drifted to the Tetsusaiga tied there, resting a hand on it's hilt and feeling the gentle pulse below his fingertips. He could count on only one hand the amount of times his blade had _spoken_ with him before. Not in words, but with a steady pulse, much like a heartbeat, and a warm glow.

'_Weird…what are you trying to tell me now?'_ He thought. His eyes then drifted back to Sesshoumaru, who waited patiently for his answer. This time he did growl. _'That stupid bastard thinks he knows everything about Tetsusaiga, he's never even touched it! Why in the hell would he want to help me anyway—it's probably some sort of trick.' _

"I don't need your help." Inuyasha snapped, "Tetsusaiga is strong enough."

"Then your answer is no…" Sesshoumaru said, his voice cold and the temperature in his steady gaze lowering several degrees.

Inuyasha didn't reply, only returned his icy look with one of his own.

"Then you are a fool."

Before the short-tempered swordsman could do anything foolish, unleash his sword on the dog god's study for example, Hoshi rested a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Kagome too held him back with one hand closed tightly around his right wrist, keeping him from drawing the Tetsusaiga from it's sheath.

"Inuyasha…" Hoshi protested from beside him, "Don't be stupid—you should at least give him a chance to explain…"

"I'm not being stupid!" the man protested, ripping his arm away from Kagome's powerful grip and brushing the fairy's hand from his shoulder roughly. He then folded his arms and glared across the distance between himself and Sesshoumaru. "You didn't even think I was worthy of wielding Tetsusaiga before and now you want to help me make it stronger." He pointed out, "what's changed?"

"Nothing has changed." Sesshoumaru replied evenly, "However I respect my father's wishes, as foolish as they may seem. I will allow you to continue using the Tetsusaiga for now."

Inuyasha snorted. "Allow me to use it…Feh!"

"If you lose," Sesshoumaru continued as if Inuyasha hadn't even spoken, "then the sword will be mine."

Inuyasha was glaring at him again. "If I lose?" he asked, "so what, I have to fight you or something?"

"A battle with you would not be worth my time." Sesshoumaru said, "You will fight with Ryukotsusei."

"Ryukotsusei?" Inuyasha asked, letting the name roll over his tongue. "Who in the hell is that?"

"A demon who's body is strong enough to survive the force of your wind scar." Kagura answered, appearing beside her husband. She hesitated a moment before continuing, "Even Sesshoumaru's father was unable to defeat him. It was due to the injurious he received from this very demon that he was later killed by only a human."

"I've heard of him," Hoshi replied, but her eyes were wide and her expression was one of fear and uncertainty. "The two-faced serpent is what they call him...but I thought he was sealed."

Kagura nodded. "It was because he was causing trouble for nearby villages that a few warriors, those that had survived out of a hundred-man army, came to beg for assistance. Sesshoumaru's father sealed Ryukotsusei with a talon, because he could not defeat him." she sighed, "he is still sealed, but not dead."

Inuyasha spoke up next, "I know who he is," he told them, "my father used to tell me stories…but he always called him the two-faced serpent." He paused, and his face darkened, "I will not fight a demon that can't fight back. That kind of battle is not one worth winning."

"Ryukotsusei will not be sealed when you see him." Sesshoumaru said evenly, "the seal has deteriorated over time. It was over two-hundred years ago that my father was wounded by him. It won't last for another hundred years, or even one-tenth of that time."

"So he might as well be released and destroyed before he gets out on his own, eh?" Inuyasha asked, mulling over this for a moment. "Fine, I'll find this Ryukotsusei, release him and kick his ass."

Sesshoumaru nodded, "We will leave first thing in the morning." He told them, "Ryukotsusei's lair is a three day's walk from here…we will make it in one."

Inuyasha scowled, "you're coming?" he asked, not sounding the least bit pleased, "I don't need your help—"

Sesshoumaru looked him dead in the eyes, satisfied by the way he froze under the intimidating stare. "When Ryukotsusei is released and you are killed, someone will need to destroy him properly." He told him, "Do not think I am allowing you to fight Ryukotsusei out of the goodness of my heart. As you have no offspring, it is I who will inherit your sword after your death."

Inuyasha growled, again, a thousand insulting words rising in his throat. He was stopped again by a hand on his shoulder, this time belonging to Kagome. He stared down at her curiously, meeting her determined blue gaze with his own golden eyes.

"What?"

"When you go to fight with this… Ryukotsusei…" she started, "I'm going with you." her tone left no room for argument.

He frowned, confused by her words. "Of course," he replied, "why wouldn't you come?"

His frown deepened as he realized that she was no longer looking at him. Instead she stared at Sesshoumaru, her eyes meeting his in a clash of dominance. He had never seen her face so cold, so determined and unwilling to waver. Inuyasha turned to see Sesshoumaru now, who regarded the half demon with an unconcerned look.

"Very well." he replied finally, turning from them. "You may return to your rooms until you are called for in the morning."

…

The group had long since disappeared from the castle walls, traveling back the way they had come and following Sesshoumaru's lead obediently. The agreement between the village and the southern kingdom had been signed much earlier in the morning, a process that had taken less than five minutes, hardly making it seem worth the miles they had traveled to get there.

Had they been around to see it, Inuyasha and the others could have described the castle's halls, once peaceful and quiet, as a depressing and horrifying sight. Bodies littered the floors and the walls were thickly painted with the blood of hundreds of dogs demons bent on defending their home. The stench of poison was nearly unbearable. Only two figures stood in the middle of such a seen, one the tall and muscular form of Itsamu and the other, a slightly shorter and thinner man with long black hair and red eyes.

Itsamu turned to look at the man beside him, his eyes dull and his face lacking expression. "It's here, Naraku-sama, the sword."

"I appreciate your help, Itsamu." Naraku said, a sickening smile crossing his lips as he took in the sight of the powerful weapon, reaching out one hand to rest his fingers gently on the blade's pommel. In response the blade hummed with excitement and took on a warm, crimson glow, reflecting the blood spilled from all it's victims in a past life.

Naraku's smile deepened. "Hello brother…"

The red-eyed man then turned back to Itsamu, "You are no longer needed." He told him, removing his hand from the weapon only long enough to rest his fingers on the man's neck, squeezing firmly when he found the right spot and watching in satisfaction as the dog demon crumpled to the floor without a sound of protest.

"But I still need you alive," he continued, turning his attention back to the sword and reaching out gently to pick it up, one hand on the pommel and the other resting carefully under its sharp and deadly edge. "It wouldn't be any fun if it was easy, now would it, brother?"

The sword didn't respond in words, but the look of understanding that then crossed Naraku's face could have told any onlookers that he had heard something no one else could. "I understand," he whispered back to the blade, "we must move quickly," and with those final words he was gone.

…

_AN: There he goes; talking to inanimate objects again…he should see a doctor about that. :c_

_Just for clarification, Kagome and Sesshoumaru are in NO WAY related. Kagome only calls him Ojisama…umm…mostly to piss him off. Anyway, I thought it would be kind of weird and totally out of character if Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru actually got along…so…they still hate each other. Just wouldn't be right any other way, would it? :3 Speaking of Sesshoumaru, how did I do? He's a real pain in the butt to write about, I'm interested to know how you guys thought I did in portraying him... _

_Oh, and if any of you are x-men fans you should defiantly go check out calicochips. She's a good buddy of mine and an awesome writer, also my story editor and new bounce board for thoughts and ideas. :) Now go on and check her out, shoo! _

_Chapter 14 (the two-faced serpent)… Inuyasha faces off against __Ryukotsusei in hopes to get his sword stronger. Then what happens when they return to the castle? Sorry, no spoiler this time. :3_

_That's all for now! Toodles! – K _


	15. Chapter 15

_AN: Yes, I know…I haven't updated in a while. :( I'm sorry, it's just this little thing called "life" kept getting in my way. Yeah, I hate that too._

_Enjoy! _

**Chapter 15: The Two-Faced Serpent**

Hours had passed since the group had followed Sesshoumaru outside the southern barrier and into an unknown land. The four humans that made up two thirds of the traveling party sat in front of a tiny fire, all resting their weary bodies and enjoying the scent of deer meat cooking by the fire.  
Keeping up with Sesshoumaru's ridiculous pace was no easy task. They had risen before the sun and now only at midday they had already been dragged through a thick forest, over a mountain and into a raging river with this being the only opportunity so far they had been offered to rest. Needless to say none of them complained.  
Now a handful of sticks, thin enough to be easily carried but sturdy enough to hold large chunks of meat, sat before the fire, being lifted and turned every once in a while by the four hungry eyed males who watched them to ensure that the fire cooked their meal thoroughly. Only a handful of minutes passed before the meat was ready to be eaten, and only a handful more before it was completely devoured.  
Kagome watched her companions from a distant tree branch with an amused smile. It quickly disappeared when the reality of the situation at hand returned.

'_That's right…' _she thought with a small sigh, _'it won't be long before Sesshoumaru is back on the move…'_  
Unsurprisingly the dog god had not traveled a single step of the journey beside them. He considered himself far superior to humans and half demons alike, even if one of them was a half god. Instead of taking the chance of being seen with such scum, he kept himself a mile or so ahead, relying on Kagome's heightened hearing and sense of smell to keep track of his movements and lead the group accordingly.  
The hybrids eyes fluttered shut even while all of her other senses remained on high alert. Sesshoumaru had been considerate enough to allow them a short rest, but only he knew how long it would last. The southern god was never idle for long.  
_'This is stupid.' _She thought angrily, folding her arms behind her head to create a pillow as she leaned back.  
She had nearly called the dog god by every cruel and insulting name she could come up with when her internal rambling was interrupted by the scent of fresh meat and the barely noticed presence of her fairy companion. When she opened her eyes she was met with the sight of Hoshi, well into devouring a chunk of freshly cooked deer meat. In her other hand she held up a stick with twice the portion, although uncooked.

"Want some?" She asked after swallowing a mouthful. "I managed to snag it from the fire before the boys ate it all…"  
The hybrid shook her head. "You eat it." She said, "I don't need it nearly as much as the rest of you…"  
"Suit yourself," Hoshi replied, then frowned and held the stick up to her again. "Cook it for me." she ordered, waving it back and forth, "it's the least you can do. I had to fly it all the way over here and it's twice my size."  
Kagome rolled her eyes. She knew better than to believe the weight of her luggage had bothered the fairy at all but obliged. She closed a hand over the meat, holding it there for only a moment and then pulling it back to reveal a few well-cooked mouthfuls where the raw meat had once been.  
The fairy responded with an appreciative grin and grabbed for the stick when it was offered back to her. A handful of hungry mouthfuls later she asked, "How long do we have?"  
When Kagome remained silent, only responding with a quizzical look, she went on, "you know…until Sesshoumaru starts back on the trail." She explained, "I'm quite surprised he stopped at all. It's not like him to be considerate of our lesser abilities like that…"

Kagome snorted. "How would I know what that bastard is thinking?" she barked, folding her arms over her chest and scowling deeply. "But I would bet it won't be much longer."  
Hoshi nodded in agreement and then silence settled between the two longtime friends. Hoshi found a comfortable perch on Kagome's knee while she finished off her meal. It was only then that she looked back up and followed her friend's longing gaze to the four humans sitting in front of the fire not far from them.  
Hoshi frowned as she too took in the sight of their four friends laughing by the fire and sharing jokes and stories of battles long since passed. When they returned from the battle between Inuyasha and Ryukotsusei, Hoshi and Kagome would be leaving immediately for the northern lands. It would have happened eventually, sure, but the time had come much too soon for the both of them it seemed. Or perhaps it was too late; after all, neither of them had expected to grow so fond of their traveling companions in these last couple weeks.  
As if the pair could read each other's thoughts they exchanged sorrowful looks before turning back towards the fire and their companions. Neither of them could have guessed in the beginning how close they would have become as a group in the short time they had spent together. It would be painful to leave, and only more painful would be imagining the looks of betrayal and confusion on the faces of their friends when they realized Hoshi and Kagome were gone without saying goodbye.

"You have no choice Kagome." Hoshi reminded the hybrid, laying a comforting hand on her knee. "It is your duty. The north needs you now more than ever."  
"I know." Kagome closed her eyes.  
Looking back, the whole situation seemed so strange to her. What had only started as an agreement to get out of the guilty feelings Taisho, Takahashi had burdened her with had turned into something much more important. She hadn't wanted to go at the beginning, but if she hadn't gone it would have been with the knowledge that if Inuyasha and Kohaku were injured along the way, or worse, killed, she could have been there to prevent their deaths.  
Now she found it painfully ironic that something was forcing her from these same people she had despised so much in the beginning. Her eyebrows furrowed as unwelcome memories flashed behind her eyes. How many times had she been there for them? How many times had she saved their lives or prevented serious injury? And how many times had they been there to return the favor?  
_'Too many,' _she thought grouchily, her eyes again falling on the fire and a certain swordsman. _'Inuyasha…'_ she thought, _'Why can't I get him out of my head? We wanted to kill each other a month ago and now…things have changed…but why do I already miss him…? Why him?'_

She had grown close to all three of the humans in her group, and the younger half demon as well, but Inuyasha seemed to hold most of her attention, however unwilling she was to admit it. She had never imagined starting out that she could become so attached to him.

'_Or Kohaku, or the others…'_ her mind added quickly.

Kohaku with his gentle, quiet and kind demeanor had become close to her. Shippou, he was just a child, but she had tried fruitlessly to detach herself from the youngster. Of course it had been pointless and he had easily grown on her like an adopted younger sibling. Even the perverted demon hunter who she still didn't trust within ten feet of her person would be missed by her, however little.  
Friends were especially hard to come by for her. As a pup she had had a few and had gained even more as she grew older but generally speaking neither demons or humans appreciated her company and when they got close enough they would let her know with claws and fangs or shovels and pitchforks. She learned that at an early age and soon decided that the safest way to avoid being killed was to stay away from large crowds or anyone she didn't know and trust, at least until she was strong enough to properly defend herself. Of course that didn't always work, after all, she was now traveling with a handful of people she hardly knew and in some cases, still didn't trust.

Her lack of friends as a child, and even growing up into adulthood had caused her to deeply cherish each and every one that she had. It was why she tried her hardest to protect them and keep them safe, why she risked her life for them and why it would be so painful to leave. She didn't want to lose them.  
Kagome's eyes drifted up to the sun and watched as it began its descent towards the horizon. It would only be a few more hours before night would blanket them in darkness and make traveling all the more difficult for her human companions.  
_'Not that it will matter to Sesshoumaru…'_ she thought, '_He's not the type to take responsibility for other's weaknesses. It's like Hoshi said, it's amazing that he stopped at all…I'm sure we'll be on the move again soon, dark or not…'_  
With that in mind she brushed the fairy from her knee and slid from the branch, landing softly on the ground and making her way to the cliff's edge where she sat, content to be alone with her thoughts. It wasn't long however before she was interrupted for the second time, now by Inuyasha.  
"Is he on the move again?"

Kagome glanced at him over her shoulder, knowing her eyes were revealing in that moment much more then she would have liked. He stood just a handful of feet behind her, hands buried in his sleeves as he stared down at her curiously. He didn't know why she looked so depressed, but for now he chose not to question it and for that she was thankful.  
"No." She answered, turning away as he took a seat beside her on the cliff's edge. The two were enveloped in silence for a moment as they admired the peaceful valley below them. Finally Kagome turned to look at him again, "we will be again soon though, I'm sure of it…you should take the time you're given and rest."  
"Keh!" Inuyasha spat, turning away from her with a scowl, "I'm not as weak as the rest of you seem to think…I'll handle that Ryukotsusei just fine. He's no match for the Tetsusaiga's strength."  
Kagome sighed. "I didn't say you were weak, Inuyasha, only human." She caught his sidelong glance and frowned, correcting herself, "mostly human. Either way, you would be a fool to think this battle will be an easy one. Don't forget that Ryukotsusei gave serious injuries to Sesshoumaru's father. If you aren't in good shape when you face him, then—"  
"Don't lecture me." Inuyasha interrupted, glancing back at her. "I know what I'm up against, you don't have to worry."

"W…who said I'm worried?" Kagome snapped at him.  
Inuyasha didn't look impressed with her obvious lie, but dismissed it and reclined back onto the rocky surface behind him, arms folding behind his head as he looked up at the ever darkening sky. Silence passed between the two for a while, both finding it strange that they could so easily relax in each other's company when such a short time ago they were barely allies.  
_'A lot has changed since then…'_ Inuyasha thought, glancing at the half demon. She looked tired, and perhaps a bit sad as she stared out on the valley, and suddenly he was reminded of why he'd come to sit beside her in the first place. He sat up quickly and gave her a meaningful look.  
"What's wrong with you?" He asked bluntly, swatting her shoulder gently with the back of his hand to get her attention. The gesture was returned with a glare, although she nodded slightly to urge him to go on. "You've been acting distracted all day…and your eyes look sad…" he explained, "you only do that when something's wrong, so tell me. What is it?"  
"It's nothing, I'm just tired." She lied, a little too quickly. Seeing the disbelief in his eyes she quickly made an extra attempt to convince him, faking a yawn and slouching slightly.

"Nice try." He replied, not fooled by her efforts. "You never get tired."  
She glared at him, again. Whether or not he ever realized it, Inuyasha seemed to have an unnerving ability to read her face like a book, see through her lies and even on some occasions understand her thoughts as easily as if she had spoken out loud. Only her father and closest pack mates had ever understood her so well, and while most of them had known her since the day she was born, Inuyasha had barely known her for a month.

She folded her arms and stayed silent, refusing to look back at him. It wasn't as if she could fool him, but she defiantly wasn't going to spill her heart out to him either. Silence passed between them for a few more moments before Inuyasha slowly climbed to his feet. "You don't have to tell me," he told her as he moved to return to the fire, "Make sure you keep track of Sesshoumaru. Wouldn't want you falling asleep and making us fall behind…"

Kagome's eyes trailed after him as he went. It was obvious by his tone that he still didn't believe her. _'How does he do that?'_ she thought furiously, '_not only can he know exactly what I'm thinking…he finds a way to make me feel guilty about lying to him too! Bastard!' _

She cursed under her breath even as she opened her mouth to call him back. "Wait…" she started, and she shifted uncomfortably below his gaze as he turned to look back at her. Part of her had hoped he wouldn't hear, and she felt an sinking feeling in her chest as she continued, her words almost too quiet for her own ears. "We're…uh…we're friends…aren't we?"

Inuyasha stiffened. _'What…what does that have to do with anything?'_ He thought quickly, feeling his cheeks begin to burn and the back of his neck begin to sweat. He was one of the strongest men in his village, second only to his father and Myoga, and he had a knack for reading minds, Kagome's in particular, but he wasn't good with words or relationships.

"Uh…" He started, folding his arms inside his giant sleeves and looking anywhere but at Kagome. Why did she have to ask such an embarrassing question? "Um…I-I guess…right?"

He spared a glance back at Kagome and frowned as he saw the way her rigid shoulders relax slightly and heard the soft sigh escape from her lips. He hesitated a moment, glancing back at the fire and then to Kagome again, then finally returning to reclaim his seat next to her. He still didn't look at her.  
"Why are you asking?"  
"No reason…" she replied quietly.  
"Someone doesn't ask something like that without reason, Kagome…" he pointed out, sending the hybrid a sidelong glance, "Hey, what's really going on?"  
"I said it's nothing didn't I?" Kagome growled out. "Leave it alone…"  
"It can't be _nothing_, stupid!" Inuyasha bit out, determined, "no one would say something like that and then just…" his words drifted off however as she suddenly became rigid beside him. Her ears perked up and she gave the air a tentative sniff before standing.

"What is it?" He asked, standing up beside her. "Sesshoumaru?"

She nodded. "We're leaving," she told him and turned to head back to the group's campsite where the others still awaited her signal, snapping at them to get up. Satisfied that they were all up and moving the hybrid paused, watching as Inuyasha passed her on his way to gather his things. He didn't even spare a look in her direction as he went by.

She sighed heavily, hands reaching up to massage her temples. _'Stupid Kagome, what are you thinking saying something like that?' _She asked herself, _'especially when we'll be parting ways in just a short time…I should have stayed quiet.' _Her eyes closed. _'These human emotions…useless…'_

…

"Sensei?" A quiet voice piped up from the silence that blanketed the room. "What will we do?"

No one answered for a long time, and the youngster bowed his head, his golden eyes closed tight. A handful of others stood behind him with matching expressions of pain and sorrow. Their clothes were all stained with blood, some that was theirs and some that belonged to those whom they had been able to defeat.

Only an hour had passed since Naraku and his herd of possessed and bloodthirsty demons had attacked, leaving the southern kingdom devastated. Many were dead, more were injured and with their leader missing the residents could only turn to Itsamu for guidance, he was after all Sesshoumaru's second in command.

"We have failed him." Itsamu said finally, turning away from the window to face the others. His eyes held a deep and heartbreaking amount of pain in them. "What is Kagura-sama's condition?"

The oldest of the group, the same one that had broken the silence earlier, winced as he was pushed forward by his younger pack mates. "I…I'm so sorry, Sensei…" he whispered, his head bowed deeply. "She is healing but the baby…"

Itsamu nodded. He didn't need to hear the rest. He had feared that the fate of her unborn child would be a tragic one when Kagura refused to obey his orders to take cover and instead dove into battle upon the arrival of Naraku's pawns. She was stubborn and strong-willed and she would never be the type to sit back and watch as others defended her. It was one of the reasons Sesshoumaru had fallen in love with her in the beginning.

"How is she taking it?" he asked next.

The young dog demon before him, his head still bowed, answered sadly, "It is difficult for her." he said, "She has locked herself up in her room and won't speak to anyone…"

Itsamu nodded. "I will speak to her." He gestured to the group then, "you two," he ordered, pointing to the youngster who had brought him the news and the girl directly behind him, "Track down Sesshoumaru-sama. You are to bring him back immediately."

"Yes, Sensei!" The pair shouted in unison, and then they were gone.

…

"We're going in there?" Shippou squeaked, staring past the dark entrance of the cave and swallowing hard as his imagination took flight. The fur on his long, red tail spiked and he turned and ran to Kagome's side, clinging to her leg. "We-we can't go in there! It's too dark! Inuyasha will lose for sure without his eyesight! We should wait till morning—better yet, let's just go home!"

"Thanks for the support you little pipsqueak…" Inuyasha grouched, crouching down beside the boy and making a grab for his tail. "I'm not going to lose."

The swordsman's attention then drifted to Sesshoumaru. He stood a handful of meters away, regarding the cave's entrance with his icy gaze. It had been the first time since they left the southern kingdom that he had allowed them close enough to see him, but he had yet to speak a word to any of them.

"Hey," he called to the god, "Is this really it? Ryukotsusei's lair?"

As he expected, Sesshoumaru didn't answer him.

Inuyasha stood, his frown turning into a scowl. "Answer me, you—"

"Inuyasha, don't be stupid." Kagome interrupted, receiving an equally menacing look from the swordsman beside her. "You're only making it more difficult you know," she continued, "he's listening…"

"Listening?" Inuyasha asked, his attention now completely on the wolf hybrid. "For what?"

Kagome sighed, "Ryukotsusei…" she explained, "I can hear his breath and the beat of his heart, but barely…it's most likely because of the seal that his body has slowed down."

"You can hear really well can't you, Kagome-san?" Kohaku asked her, "Even from so far away…but are you sure it's Ryukotsusei?"

Kagome nodded. "It couldn't be anyone else." She pointed out, "no creature with half a brain would dare go in there for fear he might wake up."

"Watch it, you…" Inuyasha warned.

"I think she's speaking for all of us, Inuyasha," Miroku pointed out with a dismissive wave of his hand, attempting to settle the would-be argument before it started. "After all, we will be following you inside as well…"

"Huh?" Inuyasha glanced at the demon hunter, golden eyes growing wide. "You don't have to…"

"Did we not agree early on that we were in this together, until the end? We are a team…" The man replied with a smile, "That is not to say we will assist you in battle with Ryukotsusei. If something goes wrong I will run away and leave his defeat to someone stronger."

"Aniki…" Kohaku started weakly, his annoyed expression matching that of the rest of his surrounding friends.

"You're an idiot." Kagome commented, glaring over her shoulder at Miroku. "Nothing's going to go wrong."

"Many pardons, Kagome-san…" Miroku said, "I did not mean to insult your abilities by suggesting that you would be unable to keep things under control. Your strength is quite admirable."

"That's not what I meant!" Kagome barked back.

"Silence."

Sesshoumaru's demanding tone had the desired effect. Everyone silenced themselves and turned their attention back to the dog lord, impatiently awaiting his next move. He looked back at them, his frozen gaze drifting over each member of the group before finally landing on Inuyasha.

"Ryukotsusei awaits his release." The god told him, stepping away from the mouth of the cave. "One wrong move and you will die. The Tetsusaiga will be mine."

Inuyasha growled the best he could with his mostly human body and trudged forwards, stomping past the god and through the cave's entrance with a determined scowl. Kagome followed after him with a roll of her eyes, and Shippou, still clinging to her leg let out a whimper of protest but didn't let go.

Kohaku hesitated for a moment before following the rest of his companions, turning to look up at the dog god. He had yet to move from his position by the mouth of the cave. "You aren't coming?" He asked meekly. The idea of going deep into a cave with dangers yet to be seen and a serpent of amazing strength waiting for them at the end seemed far less pleasant without Sesshoumaru's extra protection and guidance.

"I only came to guide you to the cave, and to claim what is rightfully mine should Inuyasha fail to defeat Ryukotsusei." He replied evenly, "Whether the rest of you perish in battle or not is of none of my concern."

Kohaku cringed, and then stepped into the cave, following the soft green glow that Hoshi provided as their only light. _'Please, Inuyasha-sama, please…'_ he thought, _'just this once, don't try to do anything foolish…' _

It wasn't long until they had drifted a good distance from the entrance. As it got darker, Hoshi drifted out ahead of them, her light expanding to fill the massive cracks and potholes that were scattered across the floor and sides of the stone tunnel. Kagome stepped into line behind the fairy, guarding her companions from any potential surprises. The rest followed close behind.

"They look like claw marks, don't they?" Shippou asked quietly, now hanging off of Kohaku's shoulder and staring down at the uneven ground with a childlike curiosity. "What do you think caused it?"

"A monster," Miroku suggested, raising a brow at the redheaded boy when he stiffened and stared back at the hunter with wide, fear filled eyes. "Isn't that what you would expect to be hiding in a cave like this?"

"It was probably just an earthquake, Shippou…" Kohaku suggested, trying to ease the boy's fears. It didn't work, but he tried.

"It wasn't either of those." Kagome told them from the front of the line, "They're from the claws of Ryukotsusei." At the curious looks of her followers the hybrid continued. "How else would you expect him to come through here? He certainly didn't spend all his time in the bottom of this cave…"

"Ryukotsusei?" Kohaku asked, his face worried as he looked down at the torn up stone below his feet. As he looked closer he noticed that the holes weren't just randomly placed. They were all in sets of four, and the indentations surrounding them could paint a picture of just how large and powerful the serpent's hands were, let alone the rest of him. An average sized male human could easily fit inside just one hole, caused from the monster's talons, and stand about waist deep in it.

"Just how big is he?" He mused, turning to stare frightfully up at his friend and leader.

'_We've faced demons of large proportions regularly on the field before,' _he thought meekly, _'but they're usually weak and easily disposed of. The only real threat is their size, after all, the dangerous demons are the ones that look like Kagome, they look human. Ryukotsusei…he's not only massive but strong enough to give the late god of the south serious wounds. If Inuyasha-sama doesn't realize what he's up against he could…' _

If Inuyasha noticed Kohaku's worrisome stare he ignored it. "Keep going." He told them, "The sooner we find this bastard the sooner I can kill it and get out of here."

Meanwhile Kagome stayed silent, watching as Inuyasha trudged ahead of her. As always, he was overly confident, and as frustrating as that could be, she'd gladly take it over the scent of fear leaking from Shippou and Kohaku. It was getting on her nerves. _'It's a horrible scent…' _she thought, wiping at her nose with one sleeve. _'Not only that, it shows they don't believe Inuyasha to be strong enough for Ryukotsusei.'_

She pondered this for a moment. It was true that the ever present threat of defeat hung in the air, but if something were to happen she would not hesitate to step in and defend Inuyasha along with the others. A fact, she thought, all of them should be aware of without her having to explain it. She was, after all, only there to protect them, and she'd be damned if she would let herself be defeated by an oversized snake.

'_If Inuyasha doesn't defeat Ryukotsusei on his own he won't be able to master his new ability for the Tetsusaiga,'_ she reminded herself, tampering down the urge to seek out and destroy the two-faced monster on her own. _'Even then…he would be a fool to take a stronger weapon over his own life. If something goes wrong I will step in.'_

Not a second later her ears twitched at the unwelcome sound of rock crumbling under Inuyasha's weight. She watched him carefully as he made his way down a slope where the ground was not only uneven, but weak. It was literally falling apart below his feet.

"Inuyasha…" She warned, her fur bristling with anticipation.

Inuyasha paused and glanced over his shoulder at her, seeing the look of unease in her eyes. Kohaku, Miroku and Shippou had come to a stop behind the hybrid, all eyes on the road ahead with similar looks of worry. He rolled his eyes and continued, albeit more carefully than before.

"You worry too much," he chided, "if a giant serpent can crawl through here then we shouldn't have any…"

His words died in his throat as the rock finally crumpled completely under his weight, leaving him scrambling frantically to get back to safety. He found a hold, and for a handful of seconds he was safe. He glanced over his shoulder to see that the downward slope had dropped off completely and was now a straight drop down into a black pit to which could see no bottom.

The swordsman relaxed slightly, lifting his head to stare back at the others, who looked equally relieved that he was safe. Then he watched in horror as the solid rock he had been holding onto gave way beneath his hand and he started to fall again.

This time Kagome dove after him, grabbing his still outstretched arm with one hand and digging her claws into the softened stone above her with the other. The pair now hung dangerously from the slope, too low to be pulled up by the others, but too high to drop down safely.

'_Or maybe not…'_ Kagome thought, looking past Inuyasha with eyes that could easily make out shapes in even the deepest and darkest of the shadows below. "There's water…" she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

Meanwhile Inuyasha squirmed beneath her, "what in the hell are you staring at?" he barked, "hurry and pull me up!"

"There's water down there…" Kagome said, louder this time. She spared a glance at his face once and then loosened her hold on his hand, "I'm lowering you down."

"What?" He snapped, "Don't—!"

It wasn't a long drop, something only Kagome could tell with her heightened senses, otherwise she wouldn't have let him fall. What she hadn't thought about unfortunately, was the temperature.

Inuyasha's spitting and cursing, along with the sound of someone thrashing about in the water to find land, alerted the hybrid to when he surfaced and she dropped down after him. She made it to the surface a second later, glancing towards the others and then to Inuyasha who was treading water beside her. He didn't look at all thrilled with the way her brilliant plan had come through.

"It is kind of cold, isn't it…?" The hybrid asked sheepishly.

"You think?" Inuyasha cried.

"Don't be a baby, it's not cold enough to hurt you, or even make you sick." She pointed out, and then turned again to look up at the others who were making their way down riding on a giant green leaf that Shippou had happily turned into a boat.

The boy hung off the bow of the boat, created with his fox magic. "Cool, huh?" He asked, grinning widely at them. "I made it myself!"

"Isn't that obvious?" Kagome grouched as the boat settled in the water in front of her. She then sighed and waved a hand around the pool they now found themselves in. "There's no other exit besides the one we took to get here…" she told them, "There's not even any land…"

She was right; the other's soon realized as they took in their surroundings. The bottom of the cave only consisted of an oval shaped "room", filled mostly with water. A handful of boulders large enough to poke out of the water were scattered throughout, but there was no shore, and thus no land for them to climb out onto.

"Where's Ryukotsusei?" Kohaku asked the exact words that were tumbling through all of their minds at that moment. "Did he get free? Is he no longer here…?"

Kagome snorted, having found a perch on one of the boulders peeking out from beneath the water. "Of course he is…" she told them confidently, "I told you I could hear him, didn't I?"

"Can you still hear it?" Miroku questioned next, frowning when a look of frustration crossed the half demon's face. She didn't have to say anything for the rest of them to realize her answer. There were no longer any signs that Ryukotsusei was somewhere within the cave.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha cussed, breaking the silence. "We came all the way out here on some wild goose chase, is that it?"

"He was here." Kagome grumbled, determined to defend her earlier answer.

"Then where is he now?" Inuyasha snapped at her, "It ain't like he turned invisible and snuck out while we weren't looking!"

Kagome opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. Instead she remained silent, turning towards the walls of the cave, ears pitched forward as she listened carefully to her surroundings. The water was moving. An obvious statement considering that there was a full grown man swimming in it and a large boat made out of a leaf, but this was different.

Her eyes narrowed on the water surrounding them or more particularly where it moved against the walls of the stone room. It was hardly noticeable, but she could see and hear the current, and yet there was no wind, so the only way such a thing could exist was from something and something big, moving beneath the water's dark depths.

Kagome's face darkened as realization hit. _'No way is it being caused by us. Don't tell me…Ryukotsusei is under the water?' _she thought, fear suddenly creeping into her mind. Not fear for herself, but for Inuyasha. _'That would make sense, wouldn't it? It's the reason I couldn't hear him anymore…because he knew we were coming and hid under the water...but Inuyasha can't fight something that he can't even see…' _

Inuyasha, having noticed by now that he was being ignored, swam towards her, intent on getting her attention back. He didn't make it far, instead he was pulled to a stop before he'd even made it halfway there by a sharp tug on his collar and a firm hand pressed over his mouth. "Quiet," Miroku whispered in his ear, "can't you see she's listening?"

Inuyasha scowled up at the hunter, brushing his hands away forcefully but remaining silent at the same time. Instead he took a hold of the side of the boat, surprised at how strong it was considering it was just a leaf, and turned his attention back to Kagome. She sat on her perch, motionless aside from the pair of wolf ears sitting atop her head, which turned back and forth with every noise. She remained that way for quite a few minutes before her shoulders slumped slightly and she stood from her crouch.

"He's under the water." Kagome said, finally looking back towards the others. They responded with an array of different expressions from fear and disbelief to frustration and anger.

She sighed, and stepped from her perch, disappearing beneath the water before surfacing a moment later and swimming towards the tiny group. "All of you should probably leave…" she replied, "This is going to be far more difficult than any of us could have imagined. There's no way any of you can fight him as long as he stays here."

"What? So you think I'm just going to abandon this fight because it got more difficult?" Inuyasha snapped, making his way to the boulder that she had abandoned and taking her place on top of it. Once he had managed to stand on the slippery surface he turned so that he could glare down at her.

"I'm not just going to run away because you think I should." He told her grouchily, "If I don't win I can't truly master the Tetsusaiga, or did you forget?"

"Inuyasha…"

"You can't force me." He interrupted sternly, "so you might as well just stay here and watch." His gaze drifted from the half demon below to his other companions, "you can leave if you want. Kagome's right, it is going to be dangerous…I don't want any of you to feel…obligated."

Silence fell between them for a moment, and it was Kohaku who stood up first, teetering uneasily for a moment on the leaf boat's soft surface before looking to his leader. "I won't stay because I feel obligated, Inuyasha-sama…" a smile crept across his face as he said his next words, "but because we're friends."

Miroku stood up behind his younger brother. "I couldn't have said it any better, Kohaku."

"Well I wouldn't say I really have a choice in the matter, do I?" Hoshi asked, folding her arms across her chest and beaming brilliantly down at the rest of the group. "I'll have to be here to make sure no one does anything stupid, and heal them up quick if they do."

Inuyasha smirked back at his companions, his friends, but his confident grin soon disappeared at the sound of a new and unfamiliar voice directly behind him.

"Now isn't that sweet…"

All eyes turned to see at first, nothing, but upon closer inspection they could see a black and white striped oval poking up out of the water. Following shortly after was the massive, white head of the serpent, Inuyasha suspected, he had been sent to defeat. As he climbed higher out of the water he revealed a long neck and body, two short arms with long, dangerous claws, and a deep hole in his chest. The hole looked as if it had been caused by a claw, narrow, but deep, and laying parallel to three other, much shallower marks in the serpent's fleshy chest.

'_That must be where the seal was…'_ Inuyasha thought, taking a step back despite himself. _'So much for needing to break him free from it…. _

"To bad none of you will be leaving this place alive," the serpent continued, "that's the punishment for trespassers such as yourselves…"

Inuyasha ignored his threat, releasing the Tetsusaiga from it's sheath and brandishing it in front of him. "Are you the one they call the two-faced serpent?" he asked, "Ryukotsusei…?"

The monster stared down at him with blood red eyes for a moment, and then moving quicker than lightening it dove down towards the swordsman, stopping only a handful of feet in front of him. Inuyasha very suddenly found himself too close for comfort with a very human looking face atop the serpent's head, and what he had originally thought to be only a marking or design of some sort.

The face grinned, revealing equally human looking teeth. "Is that what they call me?" he laughed, eyes equally as red as the serpent's glowing with excitement, "how amusing!"

Inuyasha jerked but didn't move as he was suddenly faced with a mouthful of sharp teeth. His sword hand twitched, but he was far too shocked to lift his weapon. Thankfully he didn't have to.

Kagome had managed to climb up onto the boulder and stood in front of him, snarling ferociously at Ryukotsusei and swiping at him with her claws. The serpent snapped at her twice before she managed to land a hit on his tongue, sending Ryukotsusei reeling back, blood spitting from his mouth.

"What…what was that?" He asked, still unsure of what had just happened.

Kagome glanced back at him with a scowl. "That's why I told you to leave." She grumbled, "Make sure you don't look him in the eyes…"

Inuyasha nodded in agreement, before narrowing his eyes on the large serpent again. Ryukotsusei had since recovered from the wound Kagome had dealt him and now glared down at them with two pairs of red eyes.

"How foolish," he said, "to think you could defeat me."

"I will." Inuyasha said, challenging him. "I'm not leaving here until you're dead, Ryukotsusei."

At this Ryukotsusei threw his massive head back and let out a loud, barking laugh. "You?" He asked, faking surprise, "A puny little human and his humble band of travelers?"

Without a second of warning the serpent opened his mouth wide, the back of his throat glowing dangerously as he prepared an attack that would, no doubt leave them horribly injured if not dead if they stuck around long.

"All of you, get out of here!" Inuyasha yelled over his shoulder to the rest of his companions. It didn't take much to convince them either. Shippou let out a yelp of terror and disappeared, along with his leaf boat, from underneath Miroku and Kohaku. He reappeared out of a cloud of smoke seconds later in the form of a large, pink bubble with giant eyes and stick like arms and legs.

"Shippou?" Kohaku asked, eyes wide as the young hybrid began to take them upwards.

"Hold on!" Shippou ordered, his eyes widening further as he took in the sight of the ever growing danger before them. "I knew I shouldn't have followed you in here!"

Satisfied that his companions were on their way to safety, or most of them were anyway, he turned back to Ryukotsusei, waving his sword through the air a handful of times. "Heh, the bigger they are the harder they fall. I'll destroy you, you bastard, just wait…" he told himself, preparing himself for the perfect moment to launch his wind scar.

"Idiot." He barely heard Kagome's say over the rumbling of Ryukotsusei's oncoming attack, despite the fact that she was right beside him. He did feel her however, as she ducked under his arm and leapt away from their perch, carrying him towards safety.

The pair made it to the side of the cave, where there may not have been land but at least they were out of harm's way for the moment. Kagome let out a sigh of relief as she took in the damage from Ryukotsusei's attack on the walls surrounding where she had been standing with Inuyasha only seconds before. Inuyasha didn't seem nearly appreciative enough for her tastes however, and she watched through narrowed eyes as he made his way to the nearest boulder with a determined scowl.

It wasn't long before Ryukotsusei spotted him, and a sickening grin crawled across his human shaped face. "Run and hide if you want, little boy…" he called, "I will kill you." That said the serpent dove underneath the water, sending a tidal wave crashing towards Inuyasha.

Kagome, still treading water where Inuyasha had left her, turned and quickly scaled the wall behind her until she was hanging mere inches from the water's surface. She bent her knees and pressed her feet firmly against the rock, then propelled herself in the Inuyasha's direction. She caught him under the arms, only landing long enough to throw him onto her back before taking flight again, barely missing the torrent of water crashing down behind them and the powerful jaws of Ryukotsusei that followed shortly after.

With a frustrated roar, Ryukotsusei threw his head back and shot multiple spears of his white lighting around the cave, destroying the walls and sending all occupants scurrying for their lives. Kagome landed briefly in the small cove Kohaku, Miroku, Shippou and Hoshi had found for protection, letting Inuyasha off her back as they all turned to watch the serpent destroy his lair from the inside out.

"There's no way we can fight him in here…" Kohaku pointed out, "we need to go!"

"You go, I'll stay here…" Inuyasha started, watching as the walls began to crumble into the water below.

"Inuyasha," Miroku said next, resting a reassuring hand on the other man's shoulder. "There is no weakness in moving to safer ground. You will still defeat him, but you must agree that Ryukotsusei has a high advantage over all of us. Staying here isn't just unsafe, it's suicide."

Inuyasha frowned, but took a moment to glance at each one of his friends and companions. Kagome for one looked as if she might drag him to safety using brute force if he protested again, and the rest of them would most likely help.

"Fine." He agreed reluctantly, taking one last look over his shoulder at the destruction below before climbing onto Kagome's back again, along with Kohaku and Miroku (who received a meaningful glare from the hybrid to which no one questioned).

It was only a matter of seconds before the hybrid made it back to the tunnel from which they'd entered, Hoshi flying at her side and carrying little Shippou as if he were half her size. The unwelcome sounds of Ryukotsusei traveling through the tunnel not far behind them spurred Kagome and Hoshi to move even faster, and soon they were outside again.

Inuyasha was the first on the ground, unsheathing his blade and raising it high in the air as he faced the cave's entrance. "This will take care of things," he said with a cocky grin, "Goodbye Ryukotsusei…wind scar!"

The stone walls fell fast and hard under the power of Tetsusaiga's destructive attack, and for a moment all fell silent. A handful of seconds passed and Inuyasha turned to face his companions with a grin that could nearly rip his face in two.

"Ha!" he shouted triumphantly, "You see that? Wait till I rub that in Sesshoumaru's face…he won't be so proud…"

With his nose tipped up in the air and his eyes closed, the swordsman swung the still transformed blade over one shoulder and folded his arms, but none of his companions made a sound. There wasn't any applauding, cheering or even a "congratulations" to be handed out. With a grunt of surprise Inuyasha opened one eye to stare at them, but he found that none of them were even looking at him. Instead they all stared past him and remained silent.

"What?" He snapped, "What's you problem? Ryukotsusei's dead."

"Ah…ah…ah…" Shippou stuttered, clinging now to Miroku's shoulder as he stared and pointed upwards. "It didn't work!"

With a suddenly sick feeling in his stomach and the sound of rock and earth being crushed and pushed aside forcefully filling his ears, Inuyasha slowly turned to face the massive serpent as he crawled from the rubble. He didn't even have a scratch on him from the experience, and stared down at Inuyasha and his group with amused, crimson eyes.

"You think that would kill me?" Ryukotsusei chuckled. "You really are a foolish little boy, much more so than I originally thought."

"Damn!" Inuyasha shouted as the serpent dropped from the sky, intent on crushing them beneath his huge body. They scattered, and Inuyasha took off into an arc, racing around Ryukotsusei's body. He came to a stop just behind the monster's tiny, at least in comparison to the rest of his body, right arm and dug the Tetsusaiga into Ryukotsusei's side, satisfied when blood started leaking from the wound.

"What do you think you're doing, little human?" The serpent called. He tried to reach around and grab the swordsman in his jaws, but only succeeded in taking a mouthful of stone when Inuyasha swiftly crawled onto his back.

"Why don't you wait there and see…" Inuyasha sneered, ripping his sword from the wound and standing atop the Ryukotsusei's back even as the beast began to rise. "From this close there's no way you'll survive the wind scar!"

"You foolish boy, when will you learn?" The serpent replied, by now having returned to full height. "I am undefeatable by the likes of you!" Then, with his mouth gaping, Ryukotsusei turned and aimed another lightening sphere at the swordsman, releasing his attack at the same moment Inuyasha brought his sword down. The two forces clashed and for only a second there was a power struggle before an explosion sent Ryukotsusei crashing back into the rocks below and Inuyasha flying through the air.

Kagome was the first to Inuyasha's side, followed shortly by the others. "You're an idiot," She told him bluntly, patting one cheek gently in an attempt to wake him. A moan was her only response and she rolled her eyes before turning to look at Hoshi. "You'll have to heal him…" She told the fairy, sparing a glance at Ryukotsusei who was recovering at a much faster rate than Inuyasha. "And fast…"

"I'm…fine…" Inuyasha managed to choke out, rolling onto his side and spitting up blood onto the rocks beneath him. "Just give me a minute."

"Hardly!" Hoshi barked at him, drifting down until she could get a better look at the damage. It was thanks to the fire rat furs he wore and a single drop of god's blood that he hadn't been skinned completely from such a rough landing, but he was still bleeding far more than what any normal human could stand. "That stunt could have gotten you killed…you're lucky it didn't in fact…I'm amazed your back isn't broken…did you know that your head is bleeding?"

"I'm fine!" Inuyasha snapped, rougher this time, "Now help me up…"

No one offered him a hand or a shoulder, or anything for that matter, they only continued to stare down at him doubtfully. Inuyasha scowled back at all of them, somehow managing to force his aching body to cooperate and, after a struggle that lasted several minutes, stand. He felt like shit, and by the time he had made it to his feet that feeling had increased tenfold, but he was still far from giving up.

'_I won't let him win…'_ Inuyasha growled in his mind, _'And I won't let Sesshoumaru have the satisfaction of seeing me lose. He will _never_ have the Tetsusaiga as his own, for as long as I live.'_

His sword hand twitched slightly and the Tetsusaiga, which had momentarily returned to it's weaker state but never left the grip of it's master, transformed with an almost unbearable heat and a heavy pulse. Inuyasha's gaze fell to his blade, curious. It felt different, but oddly familiar at the same time. _'It's only been like this once before…' _he thought, eyes narrowing_, 'a long time ago…when I mastered the wind scar for the first time…does that mean…?' _

His eyes grew wide as the pulse only grew stronger beneath his hand. _'What is this? The Tetsusaiga's pulse is much stronger than back then…'_

His musings were cut short by a distressed shout, "What are you just standing there for, idiot!"

Seconds later he found himself being lifted into the air, and he watched over Kagome's shoulder as Ryukotsusei's tail came crashing down into the earth where seconds earlier he had been standing. The others had made a speedy escape on their own, but he had been far too deep in thought to even realize he was in danger.

"What were you thinking just standing there?" Kagome snapped at him once she'd set him down. She snarled at him when all she received was his blank stare. "Whatever…" she grouched, "You should wait here until Hoshi is able to get to you. She may not be able to heal you completely, but she can put you in a better state to fight Ryukotsusei. I'll distract him until you're ready."

He watched as she stood, preparing to face off against the serpent herself. He could tell by the look on her face that she was holding back. She wanted to finish this quickly, kill Ryukotsusei with her claws and get it over with, but she wouldn't. They both knew it was Inuyasha who had to kill him, that is, if he ever wanted to truly master his sword.

'_No, this is my fight.' _He reminded himself stubbornly. '_I don't need her to distract him for me while I'm healing, it wouldn't be any better than if she killed him herself. But maybe I can still use her help…' _

He spared a glance at the Tetsusaiga. It had maintained its strong pulse, and he could see the wind scar's familiar aura wrapping around the blade hungrily. He knew he could win, he only needed to be able to fight, but his body still protested his every movement.

He stepped up beside the half demon, one hand resting on her shoulder, stopping her before she could dive into battle. "Wait, Kagome…"

Kagome looked back at him impatiently, "what is it?"

When he didn't respond immediately she growled at him, he was wasting time, and she knew Ryukotsusei was contemplating his next move. There wasn't much time. The look on his face made her hesitate from leaping off again however. He looked horribly uncomfortable and his face was burning a brilliant shade of red, although he was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide it by looking away.

'_What in the hell is he thinking at a time like this that's making him act so strange.'_ She thought warily, _'it can't be good…'_

"I need to…umm…" he sighed, "let me ride on your back."

She stared at him incredulously. "That's it?"

"What…what do you mean "that's it"?" He snapped. "It's weird for a guy to be in a position like that…I mean…you're…uh…"

"Well you've done it plenty of times before…" Kagome grumbled, rolling her eyes at his, in her opinion, strange behaviors and presenting him with her back. "It's fine," she said, "get on."

He hesitated for a moment before climbing atop her back, an act that wasn't easy considering the pain he was in physically. It wasn't particularly easy for his male pride either. "Ok…" he grumbled once he was comfortable, or as comfortable as he was going to get. He rested his sword over one shoulder to keep from accidently injuring his ride and held onto one shoulder awkwardly with the other hand.

Kagome glanced back at him once before taking flight. In theory it was a good idea. He had to be the one to defeat Ryukotsusei but he could hardly stand much less run in the shape he was in, so she was his legs. At the same time she had to wonder how this would be any different then when he was on the ground and using the wind scar recklessly, not to mention ineffectively, on Ryukotsusei's steel like body.

"Do you think you'll defeat me like that?" Ryukotsusei cackled, "You may be faster, but you haven't changed your strength!"

"I don't need any more power than what I have to defeat you!" Inuyasha called back, giving his sword a sidelong glance, _'Ok…this has got to be it, Tetsusaiga's ultimate technique…'_

"Fool!" The serpent cried, "I haven't even been using half of my power to defeat you and you still think you will win?"

The ground shook as Ryukotsusei's body suddenly radiated with a powerful red aura. He stared down at the pair with his four, bloodthirsty eyes for a moment before opening his mouth so release another lightning sphere, but this time it grew much larger.

"You'll both be in hell before long!" Ryukotsusei cackled as he released the mass of energy, "Just try and run away!"

"Damn…" Kagome growled, landing just in front of the massive serpent only to change course and move quickly out of the way of danger. This was different then before. Ryukotsusei had only been playing before, but now he was trying to kill them in one single blast and if they stayed around long enough he would surely succeed.

"Wait," Inuyasha called from above her, "Keep flying straight."

The hybrid faltered slightly, looking back at her passenger with an incredulous stare, wondering if he had suddenly lost his mind. "What?" She snapped, "You'll be killed! With something that powerful it's even dangerous for me to face it!"

"This is it, I'm sure of it…" Inuyasha replied without looking at her. He shifted on her back until he was high enough on his knees that he wouldn't hit her and lifted his sword above his head. "Keep going."

Kagome didn't miss the determination in his forward gaze. _'If what he's talking about is really the Tetsusaiga's ultimate technique, than…' _She took a deep breath, and with shaky sense of confidence and a ridiculous amount of trust towards the man above her she leapt towards the oncoming danger, instead of retreating the way her instincts screamed at her to do.

"I hope you know what you're doing…" She whispered, barely loud enough for the swordsman to hear over the roaring of the oncoming lightning.

Inuyasha ignored her, instead focusing on the place he needed to cut, right in the middle of the oncoming sphere of energy. If he missed, they would both likely die. _'I can see it…'_ he thought, eyes narrowing, and then with a battle cry he swung his blade down. _'Right there!'_

The wind howled as the two forces collided and tornado's formed, slicing easily through Ryukotsusei's hard body. "This…can't be happening!" Ryukotsusei roared, watching with wide eyes as his long body was torn to pieces below him, the wind cutting his thick body like a knife would cut butter. "How could you?" were his last words, before he was silenced for good.

Kagome landed neatly behind the corpse of what had been the two faced serpent, Ryukotsusei, looking over her shoulder curiously at Inuyasha. _'I can't believe it…'_ she thought, lowering to a crouch so that he could step off her back. _'He actually mastered the most powerful technique of the Tetsusaiga, and furthermore, he defeated a monster as strong as Ryukotsusei.'_

Inuyasha was silent for a moment, staring down at the Tetsusaiga in awe even as the rest of his team ran to his side, praising him. _'I did it…the Tetsusaiga's backlash wave…that was it, that must have been…' _

"Inuyasha-sama!" Kohaku shouted, rising from behind the rubble which had once been the thick walls of the cave, and only moments ago had provided shelter from the unbelievable power of the two colliding forces. "That was amazing!"

"You did it!" Shippou cried next, leaping onto Kohaku's shoulder and pointing to where the giant serpent had once been. "You defeated Ryukotsusei! You mastered the Tetsusaiga's power!"

"Impressive…" Miroku said, the last to make

Miroku said as he to stepped up beside the still silent swordsman and looked over one of his red-clad shoulders at the Tetsusaiga. "So that was the backlash wave…it's power is quite something to be able to defeat Ryukotsusei in only one swing…"

"Impressive indeed…but you still could have gotten yourself killed…" Hoshi grumbled as she flew up beside him. "You should really let me look at those wounds before we head back."

Inuyasha ignored them all and only smirked as he raised the blade high above his head and waved it in a handful of large circles. "Heh!" He laughed, "Just wait until that bastard Sesshoumaru sees! I can't wait to see the look on his face; he'll be so shocked—"

Then he brought the sword down, hard, releasing the wind scar on the unsuspecting rubble and the remains of Ryukotsusei's body. As the rubble settled five trenches remained, deeper and longer than those that the group had seen caused by the Tetsusaiga before. "Pretty cool, huh?" Inuyasha said with a grin wider then before, hoisting his sword up on one shoulder despite the still present pain in his body. "The wind scar got stronger…"

"You're just being reckless now…" Hoshi commented with a sigh.

"Huh?" Inuyasha asked, turning to look at his companions, no longer impressed by his weapon. "The Tetsusaiga's power is…" he started, but his words drifted off as he caught sight of the familiar, yet unwelcome silhouette of Sesshoumaru arriving on the back on the scene.

"So that guys finally back, huh?" he grumbled, sheathing his sword and folding his arms beneath his fire rat robes. "You saw, didn't you?" He called to the dog god, "Ryukotsusei is dead…"

The dog lord paused before the remains of the once mighty serpent, turning back slowly to regard Inuyasha with his cold, emotionless gaze. "So he is. You have defeated him," he acknowledged, although he didn't sound or look impressed, "and so I am to assume you have also learned how to use the backlash wave…"

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied. "Shows what you know I guess…"

Sesshoumaru regarded him for a moment, his expression, or lack of expression rather, not changing. He then turned without a word and started heading back in the direction from which he had come, presumably returning to the southern kingdom.

"Why you…you…you…" Inuyasha sputtered, staring furiously after the god's retreating form. He made a grab for his sword then, intent on showing Sesshoumaru just how wrong he was for thinking he could walk away without another word. His hand didn't even make it to the blade's hilt though. Instead he found himself nearly falling to his knees with a hiss as his body reminded him suddenly of the wounds that he had sustained during his battle.

"What now?" Hoshi asked dully, "did you just remember your injuries?"

"You should let him be, Inuyasha…" Kagome commented as she stepped up beside him, taking one of his arms in an offer for support while Kohaku silently moved to his opposite side. "That guy would never be satisfied, even if you took Ryukotsusei down in one blow and left without a scratch…"

Inuyasha ignored them both, still glaring after Sesshoumaru as he retreated. He hadn't so much as turned his head since departing, in fact if anything he had actually sped up. "That bastard…" he growled, pulling away from Kohaku and Kagome despite their protests and stomping after the dog god with tightly closed fists.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Kagome called after him, but he didn't respond.

"Takes one to know one though, doesn't it?" Hoshi teased, only laughing at the cool glare from her half demon companion. "Oh really now, you're just as stubborn as he is, maybe more so."

The hybrid brooded silently as she watched her so called friends laugh at her expense. She watched as Inuyasha continued after Sesshoumaru, somewhat resembling a five year old child who didn't get their way as he marched off. She could still smell the blood leaking from his wounds, and while she wasn't about to admit it to Inuyasha or any of her other companions, she worried for him.

"At least my body can handle it when I get injured like that…" she grumbled, finally deciding to follow after the pair. "One day his idiocy and stubbornness is going to get him killed."

"It runs in the family, Kagome-san…" Kohaku reassured her with a friendly hand on her shoulder, "at least on the male side, although Rin can be quite stubborn too as I'm sure you can remember."

Kagome nodded, rolling her eyes as she remembered meeting the young girl for the first time. She had to chuckle a bit as she thought of Rin. Stubbornness was one thing that seemed to flow through her veins and Inuyasha's equally, but then so did determination and strength, so maybe she was the fool for worrying. After all, Inuyasha's wounds were enough to bring him pain and suffering, but hardly enough to kill him.

Kagome sighed contently as she fell into line behind the others; worry now the farthest thing from her mind. She tilted her head up as the wind blew, caressing her face gently and tousled her hair, but the scent the wind carried with it stopped her dead in her tracks. She sniffed again just to be sure, and then looked ahead to Sesshoumaru who had also come to a sudden halt.

Her peace was clearly not meant to last and was quickly replaced with worry once more as she made her way to Sesshoumaru's side. However this time she wasn't worried for the same reasons. No, this felt far more important than her initial concern over Inuyasha's injuries and lack of self-preservation skills.

'_That scent…dogs from Sesshoumaru's kingdom are coming this way, but…they carry with them the scent of blood and death and poisons…' _she thought, her blue eyes locked on the horizon, _'Something must be horribly wrong, Itsamu would never send them if it was anything less than an emergency.' _

"What the hell, Kagome?" Inuyasha snapped from behind. "We need to get back."

Sesshoumaru's abrupt stop had caused enough confusion for the (mostly) human members of the group. Then, when Kagome went to stand beside the dog god and both remained motionless, their loss of understanding only grew. It wasn't their fault that they couldn't understand, after all, none but Kagome and Sesshoumaru could smell or hear what was coming aside from Shippou, but the boy had already drifted into a deep sleep.

"Be quiet!" Kagome snapped over her shoulder, silencing Inuyasha immediately and sending the rest of her companions into similar states of obedience with a glare. Satisfied she turned her attention back to the horizon, waiting. The dogs were growing closer.

At first only two tiny white blurs were barely visible cresting the hill, but as they came closer they morphed into two large, silver coated dogs. They tore across the land as they grew closer still, their eyes reflecting the terror and desperation they felt. Although there were no signs of blood on either of the dog's thick coats, large patches of missing fur and marred skin revealed where their wounds had yet to finish healing, and the scent they carried was proof enough that they had practically bathed in it.

The dogs were only meters away now, but Sesshoumaru didn't stay long enough to hear their words. His eyes became red and his face elongated until it resembled that of a dogs muzzle before he was encased in a thick layer of crimson smoke. He emerged only a second later taking the form of a massive white dog. Throwing his head back he let out a deafening howl that had Kagome and the two canines cringing and took to the sky, disappearing, despite his size, in a matter of blinks.

"Where in the seven hells is he going?" Inuyasha barked, looking out from behind his large sleeve, which he had raised in defense of the flying debris. "Hey," he called, not bothering to notice that the god couldn't possibly hear him any longer, "HEY!"

"I told you to be quiet!" Kagome snapped, scowling over her shoulder at her companions again before turning her attention on the two silver coated dogs in front of her. "You two!" she snapped, satisfied in the way the pair flinched and cowered underneath her demanding glare. "What happened? Why were you sent here?"

"_**Kagome-sama!"**_ One of them barked, _**"While you were away the dragon known as Naraku attacked! He stole the weapon! The southern kingdom is in chaos!"**_

"_**It's a horrible sight, Itsamu send us to retrieve Sesshoumaru-sama and yourself, Kagome-sama." **_The other one said, _**"there were so many losses…we don't know how to…" **_

The two then exchanged sorrowful looks and ducked their heads, tails tucked and ears drooping as they spoke barely audible apologies. "Don't apologize to me, fools…" Kagome grumbled, but the look on her face matched theirs. She glanced over her shoulder then at her friends, all waiting eagerly for some answers. It wasn't hard to tell that something horribly wrong had occurred, but as to what it was they were clueless. "We need to go back." She said evenly, "and fast…"

She didn't offer any further explanation, only turned back onto the path and with the two dog demons at her heels, took off running. "Hey!" Inuyasha called after her, again, but he was ignored. "Damn them…what in the hell are they thinking…?"

"They must have been able to smell something…" Hoshi pointed out. She looked worried as she continued, "And Kagome wouldn't take off like that without an explanation."

"Did either of you see the wounds on those demons?" Miroku asked, drawing Inuyasha and Hoshi's attention onto himself. "I would guess that there was a fight, and not a simple one, that occurred while we were away…"

"Obviously…" Inuyasha grumbled, not impressed with the hunter's observation.

Miroku only ignored him, looking to Hoshi who nodded. "We should act quickly then."

"What's that smell…?"

The group turned to face the body of the newest voice, Shippou, who had up until now been sleeping on Inuyasha's shoulders. He met their curious gazes with blurry eyes, reaching up one tiny paw to rub lazily at his face. "It smells like death…and blood…" he continued, "almost like it did when Ottosan and Kaasan died but there's a lot more…"

The young hybrid was far too tired to take note of the horror struck looks on the faces of his elder companions and instead buried his nose in Inuyasha's long mane. "It makes my stomach hurt…" he whined, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Shippou-chan…" Hoshi started uneasily, "can you tell us anything else…?"

The boy shook his head. "Can't…" he said with his voice muffled, "smells too bad…"

Inuyasha turned away from the boy to face the rest of his group. "We need to go. Now."

"Hachi will help us get there faster," Miroku said before anyone could make a move, turning to look down at the little green eyed raccoon dog. "Won't you?"

"Miroku, this is hardly the time for…" Inuyasha words drifted off as the little creature transformed into what looked like a giant, yellow gourd. "What is that?"

"I am Hachi, Miroku's faithful servant…" the giant creature introduced, staring down at them with wide eyes. "I'll give you a ride there faster than you can walk or run, hope on."

"Hardly as faithful as he'd like you to think," Miroku commented, but climbed aboard and motioned to the others to do the same. "I'll explain on the way."

…

Kagome motioned for the two silver coated canines to go ahead of her as she approached what she could only assume had been the battle field. "Go and find Itsamu. Tell him I need to speak with him…" she told them as she knelt down next to the first victim, a dog demon that she recognized as one of the youngsters she had sparred with earlier. He was dead.

'_Even the children were fighting…it must have been bad…'_ she thought, gently brushing one hand across his face to close his eyes for the last time and covering her nose with her opposite arm. "I can hardly take this smell…" she whispered, "I think I might be sick…"

Bodies covered the ground like a blanket, not only those of the dog demons that had resided under Sesshoumaru's rule, but hundreds of other, weaker monsters lay dead. Kagome approached one of them carefully, nudging it with one foot. _'There's no way these weaklings alone could have been responsible for this mess…' _she thought carefully, _'hell, they wouldn't have even been able to get past the barrier without help. Does that mean Naraku allowed them to come past it? Did he bring them on purpose, as a distraction?" _

'_He wouldn't have any other reason behind bringing them, would he?' _Kagome asked herself as she looked over her shoulder towards where the barrier had once stood. When she'd arrived she noted the way the massive stone statues that were the guardians had been destroyed completely. They were now nothing more than eight large piles of rubble littering the forest and with them gone the barrier was no longer able to support itself.

She growled and turned her eyes back to the thousands of corpses strewn across the land. _'That Naraku…'_ she thought furiously, _'he's killed Kaasan, he's destroyed the southern kingdom and stolen the sword…I admit, he's much more of a threat then I originally thought. If he succeeds in stealing all three treasures and reviving his brother then he really could…' _

Her ears twitched as she heard a faint cough, barely loud enough to even catch her attention. Her eyes drifted across the piles of broken bodies, looking franticly for one that moved and hoping desperately that she wasn't too late. As her ears picked up on the sound of someone struggling to breathe she zeroed in on them and then froze as she recognized the face and body as that of her childhood friend, Isa.

She crossed the distance in one leap and knelt down, pulling the woman's limp body into her arms. "Isa…" she whispered sadly, her eyes trailing over the dog demon's damaged body, "Isa, I'm so sorry…"

The hybrid ducked her head, resting her forehead comfortably against Isa's and closed her eyes. The scent of blood and death drifting from her friend's body was making her nauseous, but she remained there for quite some time, mourning. Kagome hadn't seen the dog demon in decades, nearly a century actually, but they had once shared a close bond that could nearly rival the relationship she now had with her pack mates back home. She wasn't only losing a friend now, but a family member and a best friend from her younger years.

'_We used to play together and train together whenever I would visit the south with my mother…' _Kagome thought, sighing heavily, _'she reminded me of myself back then, because she would get chased and picked on by the others, so I promised to always protect her…but now…'_

"Ka…gome…sama…" a small, weak voice caught Kagome's attention and she stiffened, pulling away from the dog demon quickly and meeting the dog demon's warm brown eyes with her concerned blue ones. "You're alive…" Kagome breathed, pulling the woman back into a gentle embrace. "Isa, I…"

"Your scent…woke me…" Isa told her, smiling up at the half demon weakly, "It's good to see you again, Kagome-sama…" she whispered, "I must admit that I was worried…when I heard you were going off to fight the two faced serpent…Ryukotsusei…but I should have known you would come out fine…"

"I didn't face him." Kagome corrected softly, resting a finger on Isa's lips when she noticed the dog demon trying to speak again. "You're badly hurt, you shouldn't try to talk…" she explained, "Hoshi is coming though, she'll be here soon…then she can heal you…"

Isa only shook her head and continued smiling as she took the hybrid's hand in her own. "Don't be foolish, Kagome…Kagome-chan…" she said, "I can smell it, and I know you can…it's far too late for healing now…"

A soft growl rose in Kagome's throat. She knew the scent Isa was referring to, but she refused to acknowledge that death was already overcoming her dear friend. "Don't say that!" She snapped, "That doesn't mean anything! It doesn't mean Hoshi can't…"

"You know…who it was, right?" Isa asked, changing the subject, "Naraku…he was the one who came…" she continued despite Kagome's protests, "the one…he was the one…he killed your mother…"

"I know." Kagome replied shortly, not liking the way Isa's eyes grew more distant as she continued to speak, "I know he killed Kaasan, and I know he attacked here and stole the weapon. Isa, you need to rest."

"He stole the sword…" she said next, "he took it…there was nothing we could do…"

"I know."

"I'm sorry…that we couldn't…we couldn't…" she closed her eyes then and leaned heavily against Kagome's chest. "We tried…we all tried…"

"I know." Kagome said again, and finally gave in, resting her forehead once more against Isa's, noticing the way her skin had grown much colder now. "You did well. For now you should rest." The two stayed like that for quite some time and Kagome listened patiently to the sound of Isa's heart beating as it slowed and then finally stopped completely.

'_I'm sorry I couldn't protect you this time, Isa…' _She thought, slowly pulling away from her now dead friend and settling her limp body back on the ground before standing. For once she didn't try to fight the tears that pooled in her eyes and ran down her cheeks. _'Goodbye…'_

Itsamu approached her moments later, subdued and quiet. He knew of the bond the two had shared many, many years ago and had watched them play together as pups, but now was not the time to mourn. There were others still suffering that needed to be healed lest they end up the same way Isa did.

"Kagome-sama…" he called gently, "If you would…I could use your assistance in carrying some of the injured to a more comfortable place…"

Kagome nodded numbly and stood, still holding Isa's body in her arms. "I will." She said, "but I'm not leaving her here…"

He nodded. "There are new graves being prepared as we speak. Drop her off there and then return."

Kagome moved to pass him to do just that but hesitated a moment at his side, her eyes meeting his. "Then you will tell me what happened here." It wasn't a request, it was an order.

"Yes." The dog demon agreed, "When everyone has been accounted for, the dead have been buried and the injured have been healed, we will talk."

Itsamu watched her go before turning back to the matter at hand, finding survivors. Most had already been accounted for, hunted down early by those who were lucky enough to come out with little to no injuries, but there were still many that remained. Those that they found now would most likely be dead or, much like Isa, too late to save, but Itsamu had hope.

A few moments passed while he searched in silence, only coming up more dead bodies, and feeling his heart sink lower with each face that he recognized. There had been no discrimination when the demons had attacked he realized as he sat beside a pup, barely a year old, as he took his last breathes.

He scooped the boy up and stood to take his body to the grave site when a new smell caused him to pause, and he looked over one shoulder to see a giant yellow creature carrying the rest of Kagome's companions towards him. As they landed and dismounted from the large gourd-shaped beast similar states of shock and sadness crossed their faces.

Hoshi was the first to approach him, looking first to the boy in his arms before lifting her tear-filled eyes towards him. "This is…" she started, "Itsamu, I'm so sorry…I can't…"

The dog demon only shook his head. "Now is not the time for that," he told her, resting a hand on her shoulder briefly. "If you would Hoshi…there are many that have been badly injured…" Hoshi didn't need a full explanation to understand what he meant and quickly took to the skies, flying in the direction of the recovery ward.

Inuyasha was the next to approach, and his was much different then Hoshi's. "What in the hell happened here?" he snapped furiously, "who did this?"

"It was the dragon named Naraku." Itsamu explained shortly, baring his teeth in a warning for the swordsman to control his anger. Now was not the time for anger either. "If you would follow me I will direct you to grave site where you can assist in burying the dead. I will explain everything to you once that is done."

…

"Where are they?' Inuyasha grouched, glaring darkly at the closed door as he made another pass. "They should be here by now…"

Miroku sighed as he watched the young swordsman pace impatiently across the wooden floor. It was well into the afternoon now, and Inuyasha, his younger brother, the now human fox child and himself had been waiting for quite some time for Itsamu and Sesshoumaru to arrive and explain the events that had occurred in their absence. Hoshi and Kagome were still missing, the hybrid hadn't shown herself since her speedy departure the previous night and Hoshi had been drafted early on to help heal the injured and hadn't been seen since.

"Try to have some patience, Inuyasha." He suggested, "They are still recovering from this tragedy…"

Inuyasha paused for a moment and seemed to think this over before giving a furious shake of his head and continuing. "This isn't a time to mope around and feel sorry that people are dead!" He snapped, "We should be out looking for this bastard instead of standing in here, doing nothing!"

"We hardly know enough of what happened to go into battle yet much less start a search." The hunter pointed out, looking far from impressed. "I can understand that you are eager to stop Naraku before he can get any closer to reviving his brother, however…" here he paused, "I think it best that we have a plan set first."

"And while we're standing around here waiting to set up a plan Naraku could be on his way to the other kingdoms!" Inuyasha retorted angrily, "Hell, he could be there right now!"

"You think we would make a difference if we were there?"

"What?" Inuyasha asked, spinning around to face Miroku with a scowl, "Are you a fool enough to think that any amount of extra help would not make a difference in any battle?"

"Naraku was able to take an entire kingdom in the span of a single night. Perhaps if we were there we might make a difference in the number of dead bodies at the end, but we would not stop him…" Miroku explained, "I admit I was a fool. I thought that with an army we would be able to slay him easily, but with an army of his own he was able to distract and take down some of the most powerful demons known to Japan. He is much stronger, much smarter then I originally believed him to be."

"All the more reason we need to stop him before he can get the next treasures…"

"Inuyasha is correct." Itsamu's voice silenced any comebacks Miroku may have had as the dog demon stepped through the doors. "But so are you," he continued, gesturing to the demon hunter. "A plan is necessary for we take action."

He turned to look over his shoulder then, holding the door patiently as Kagome and Hoshi slipped into the room and made their way to stand beside the others. They both looked exhausted and depressed from dealing with the chaos.

"So then...?" Inuyasha asked, folding his arms beneath his giant red sleeves and settling to dog demon with a bored look. "What is your plan?"

Itsamu said nothing for a moment and then sighed, completely stepping away from the door and letting it close behind him. "It is not my place." He replied, "Sesshoumaru-sama has orders for you, but I know nothing of them."

"When is he coming?" Inuyasha demanded next and the dog demon sighed, again. "I left him with Kagura-sama, he will arrive when he is done speaking with her." He said, "Until then…I believe all of you would like to hear exactly what transpired here while you were away."

Itsamu's face darkened slightly as he saw the suddenly eager expressions on the faces of those before him. "Alright…" he said, "it is hardly a pleasant one to tell…" he began, and took a moment to build his confidence.

The memories he had, not only of the devastation that he had witnessed, but of the short yet torturous time he was under Naraku's mind control were unwelcome but still very present in his mind. How he wished he could forget, but it wasn't possible to clear something so painful from one's mind.

"First the demons arrived…hundreds of thousands…maybe even a million all attacking at once…" he began, "we held them off the best we could and thought we were doing quite well, but with the distraction Naraku was able to get past the castle walls. Once I realized what had happened I tracked his scent, something even his hallucinations cannot hide, but then…" his eyes closed and he bowed his head in shame as the next words came from his mouth, "I was taken…he was able to control my body, but not my eyes. I could see everything and I watched as he had me slay my own, their blood poisoning my claws."

I'm sure that's what he wanted…monsters as evil as he is enjoy seeing others hurt. His goal is not only to steal the treasures and revive Onigumo, it is to cause as much pain and suffering as possible in the process. Once he possesses the treasures, he will feed them with bloodshed and heartache, which will only make Onigumo more powerful if he is revived."

"I was unable to stop him from taking the weapon as you know, a fact that I am greatly ashamed to admit…" he lifted his head then and looked at the group before him, "when I awoke he was gone. The demons he had brought with him had vanished and all that was left were corpses, and the few that have survived."

The room remained silent for a long moment then as everyone processed the new information and reality sunk in. This was no longer just another powerful demon; this was the beginnings of a war.

'_I don't have much of a choice now, do I?'_ Kagome thought, memorizing the patterns on the wooden floorboards. _'It may not make much difference if I'm there…but I must at least warn the northern kingdom of what is to come.'_

Her eyes drifted to her other companions, _'but I also promised to protect them, didn't I?' _She pressed one hand to her forehead, as if she was checking for a temperature, and then let it fall to cover her eyes. _'What do I do?' _

The door opened a second later and Sesshoumaru stepped out from behind it. His emotionless mask remained as usual, although it seemed he was struggling somewhat to maintain it. He spared a look at each of the room's occupants before speaking, "you are all to return to your homes immediately." He ordered coldly, and then turned to Kagome, "You are to go north and prepare the wolves there for war."

Kagome bit down on her tongue, hard, to keep from snarling at the god. Inuyasha wasn't quite as tactful. "No," he replied evenly, startling all of his teammates and winning himself a very frigid look from the dog god. "I won't go back until I have done what I was sent to do. I won't return a coward or a failure."

"Do you think you can disobey orders from a god, boy?" Sesshoumaru asked, "I will have you escorted if that is what's necessary."

"I'd like to see you try!" Inuyasha challenged, already reaching for Tetsusaiga's hilt. He was stopped however by Kohaku and Miroku tackling him to the ground. "Are you insane?" Kohaku cried, "Do you want to get yourself killed?"

"Get the hell off me!"

"Sesshoumaru-sama, if you don't mind…" Miroku began; leaving Inuyasha's subduing to Kohaku and standing again. "I realize that this is a difficult time for all of the gods, but Naraku is not just your enemy but ours as well," he told him, gesturing to the rest of the group, "I for one would like the privilege to fight against Naraku, even if it costs me my own life in the end."

"Aniki…" Kohaku started, but his older brother silenced him with a dismissive wave and continued, "My people fought long and hard against the dragon brothers many years ago and after many deaths on both sides they defeated Onigumo. Now that he is rising in power again I wouldn't feel right not honoring my family by being a part of the war…"

"You will only be in the way and end up killed." Sesshoumaru replied, "Even if it is your wish to die for your family's honor, that is also what Naraku wants, and so I cannot allow it. His goal is to cause as much blood shed, despair and hatred as possible to give power to his brother's black heart, the only way to minimize that is to remove the weak from the equation. Humans are weak both in body and mind and so none of you may fight."

Miroku hardly looked appreciative of the god's opinion, but bowed his head and stepped back despite himself, "I understand, Sesshoumaru-sama…"

"I don't." Inuyasha said, returning the room's attention to him. He still lay trapped underneath Kohaku's weight, but he somehow looked just as threatening as he had standing. "You're calling me weak? I defeated that damn Ryukotsusei, the one that even your old man couldn't handle on his own…"

"I suggest you remain silent unless you want me to reconsider removing that sword from your belt, boy," Sesshoumaru replied icily, "You have been able to defeat the serpent, but you are still pathetic in comparison to a monster such as Naraku. A human like yourself could never understand that amount of power."

"Why you…"

"Do not make me repeat my orders. Return to your human village and protect the Shikon no Tama at all costs. When this war is over, you may continue with your journey and visit the other kingdoms," Sesshoumaru interrupted, catching Inuyasha's attention immediately.

"What? The Shikon no Tama is perfectly safe…" Inuyasha said, pushing Kohaku from his back roughly and standing.

"It may be safe now." Sesshoumaru agreed, "But I have no doubt that Naraku and Onigumo have an interest in the jewel. Nothing that contains such raw power would go unnoticed by two monsters such as themselves."

"So you want us to return and protect it?" Kohaku asked, "But if the brothers decide to try and steal it for their own…how is that any different from us assisting you in the war and protecting the remaining treasures?"

The god turned his frigid gaze on the younger man momentarily, making him shiver. "I don't plan on letting them get that far." He replied evenly, then turned and exchanged a few quiet words with Itsamu before he spoke to the group again, "I have nothing more to say to you. Follow the orders I have given, all of you. "

Itsamu waited until the dog god had disappeared to the other side of the door before his eyes settled back on the group before him. They remained silent, all lost in thought and no longer

"If you will follow me…" he said, turning, "I will escort you to the door…"

…

No one spoke a word as Inuyasha lead his team closer to the borderline. Depression still hung over the southern kingdom like a heavy blanket that couldn't be removed, and the scent of blood and death lingered so strongly that even the humans could smell it.

Similar thoughts of anger and resentment settled in each of their minds. It wasn't easy to leave knowing they had been excluded from the upcoming war, and not by someone that they could easily oppose either. Sesshoumaru did have reasons behind his decisions, and perhaps it was better that they left the fighting to the gods, but especially for those of the team with a more personal past with Naraku and Onigumo, it was extremely difficult, impossible even.

"Inuyasha-sama…" Kohaku spoke up bravely, breaking the silence that had settled amongst the friends for the past hour. "What will we do now?"

"Continue on our journey…" Inuyasha replied nonchalantly.

"So…we aren't following Sesshoumaru-sama's orders?" He asked tentatively, finding himself unsurprised by Inuyasha's answer. He never listened to reason when it came to things like this, even when he knew it was in his best interest to do so.

"Of course we're not," Inuyasha bit out, scowling back at the younger man as if insulted by the very idea. "Do you want to return home without having completed what we were sent out to do? We'll return failures. Besides that," he continued, facing forwards again, "I refuse to let Sesshoumaru and the other gods take all the credit. They aren't the only ones who have been affected by these bastards…"

"I agree." Miroku said next, "I will not allow someone else to choose my battles for me. My family would be ashamed if I did. This is no petty demon extermination either; it is a war that has been in my family's history since before I was born. I would not forgive myself if I stepped aside to let someone else do all the work…" he turned to his younger brother then, "Kohaku, you know you…"

"I know." He said with a smile, "I understand Aniki, and I will fight by your side. It wouldn't feel right otherwise."

"Then we've decided, haven't we?" Inuyasha asked, but then he paused and his eyes grew wide as he spun to face Kagome. "That's right," he said, "Sesshoumaru told you to go north, didn't he?"

Kagome grew stiff under the swordsman's penetrating gaze, and squirmed slightly as four more pairs of eyes locked onto her, all curious to hear her response. "Err…yeah," she mumbled, "he did say that, didn't he?"

Inuyasha's already present frown deepened, "Why?"

Kagome's eyes drifted back to him and she raised one eyebrow in disbelief. _'But I thought…is he really that stupid? He hasn't figured it out by now?' _She hesitated as she searched for the proper words. Sesshoumaru had nearly spelled it out for them, but apparently no one had noticed, and she wasn't about to give herself away if that was the case. Her identity would remain hidden for all time is she had anything to say about it, after all, being a god and the rightful ruler of the north was no something she cared to accept herself, and who knows how the others would handle it. 

"It was because…well…they're wolves, you know…so…they can use all the help that they can get," she explained finally, "to defend their treasure I mean." Kagome dodged Hoshi's glare with the ease of a seasoned expert. Inuyasha and the others seemed satisfied by her answer, and that's all she needed.

"But you aren't going, right?" Inuyasha called as he turned to leave again, "that would be stupid, you're better off here with us…"

Inuyasha only stopped again after a handful of moments passed without a word from Kagome. "Hey, Kagome…" he called, looking over his shoulder at her, but his words died in his throat when he saw her. "Kagome, you…"

"He's here…" she interrupted with a feral sounding snarl. Her fur was bristled and her lips were pulled back to reveal, sharp and dangerous fangs. She was looking right at them, but she didn't see her friends, she only saw the color red. "Naraku, you bastard…show yourself!"

…

_AN: Do you have any idea how annoying Ryukotsusei's name gets after you type it 5,000 times? OMG…_

_Also, not sure if that was a good time to introduce Hachi or not, but he is kind of helpful throughout the manga (for riding purposes anyway) so I figured I needed to keep him. If you recall earlier he was mentioned as a (cursed) little tanuki. Well, that's his curse, more on that later though. XD _

_Apologies again for taking so long, but I got it nice and long (really long) for you guys so hopefully I can be forgiven. 0:) No matter how long my updates take, I'm not giving up on this story, so please don't give up on me. :) _

_A few notes…Sango and Kirara will be in the next chapter, for those who have been wondering. Also, I will be re-writing some pieces of the story when I get the chance, not necessarily changing all that much, but the possibility is there so you might want to keep up with that. I'll let you know what I'm doing on my page and here in my author's notes. Finally, I feel it's necessary to tell ya'll that this story isn't going to have as much sword/weapon upgrading as the manga did because that was just crazy in my opinion. I don't know if anyone actually enjoyed the series of Tetsusaiga upgrades throughout the manga and anime but I wasn't particularly fond of it, so…a little more with IY…some good stuff with Kagome and her scythe…that'll be pretty much it._

_Chapter 16 (Face to Face with a Black Heart): __"Miroku!" The boy squeaked cheerfully, leaping into his arms and nuzzling his chest happily, "you're alive!" _

"_I am…" the hunter agreed with a weak smile, giving the boy an affectionate rub on the head. "Thanks to you I presume…" his eyes then drifted to the woman sitting beside him. "And who might this be?" _

"_This is Sango!" Shippou introduced, waving a hand over his shoulder at her, "She helped me get you to safety! Isn't she pretty?" _

_Oh man, I'm such a tease. _

_Toodles! – K _


	16. Chapter 16

_Here's chapter 16 for you! I may not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters…but Kazuo and Satoshi are MINE, all __MINE__! :D _

Anyway, I hope you enjoy…because this one is really, really long…again…I'm starting to think I'm just not capable of making chapters that are an appropriate length. Sigh.

**Chapter 16: Face to Face with a Black Heart **

"Shippou-chan…" Hoshi turned towards the frozen fox hybrid, "find some place to hide. Make sure you don't come out until Naraku is gone, ok?"

The boy looked at her, terrified. "But Hoshi, you—" he started to protest.

"Don't worry about it!" She shouted, turning back towards the threat at hand. He stood before them, regarding the group with cold red eyes and in one hand he held the sword, the treasure which he had stolen from the south. "Go, Shippou!" She ordered. He didn't need any further convincing. The boy turned and took off into the forest without as much as a backwards glance.

As Shippou ran for cover Kagome dropped into a crouch in between the rest of her companions and the still silent dragon. _'He doesn't smell right somehow…'_ she thought, her eyes narrowing as she sunk even closer to the ground, preparing to attack with everything she had should he suddenly decide to make a move. _'He reeks of miasma,'_ her mind continued, _'but aside from that there's nothing else…unless…is he trying to block my senses with the heavy scent of poison?'_

"Naraku I presume?" Inuyasha asked as he came to stand beside Kagome. "You must have a death wish, you bastard…attacking us while we're all gathered together like this? Do you really think we're going to let you leave alive?"

Naraku chuckled at the man's confidence. "You foolish human, did you forget so easily how I devastated the southern kingdom only one day ago?" his smirk grew, "you had the chance to kill me days before that, and yet you were all too incompetent to even see over such a pathetic trick…"

"So it was you back then…" Kagome snarled, "I should have known…I should have ripped you in two when I had you the first time…"

"What…what are you talking about?" Inuyasha snapped, scowling at the hybrid below him. "When was he…? Why didn't you…?"

"You don't remember?" Kagome asked, shocked. "In the forest…just after we entered the barrier, there was a group and demons and we took them out…"

Inuyasha blinked. "I remember that of course," he said, "but there was no one else there at the time."

"You really don't remember, then, do you?" Kagome asked, looking over her shoulder at Miroku and Kohaku who both seemed equally as lost as Inuyasha was. "And you two don't either, do you?" Neither of them responded, only staring down at her with questioning expressions. Kagome shook her head and then turned from the brothers to lay narrowed eyes on Naraku. "What on earth did you do to them?"

"The fools were under my control the whole time," Naraku answered with a chuckle, "it was so easy to control them…such pathetically weak minds they all have." His eyes fell to Kagome then, "you however, you were much more difficult…you're so much like your mother in that way…"

Kagome snarled at him, baring her teeth as she stood from her crouch, "you bastard," she bit out, "you'll pay for everything you've done…"

"You think you can defeat me?" Naraku teased, "What a joke, even your mother eventually fell into my trap! I won't be bothered by a worthless half breed like you!"

"Shut your mouth!" Kagome snapped, and without a second thought sent a large stream of fire tearing after him, which he effortlessly dodged. A second later Kohaku's sickle went flying past Kagome's left shoulder, lodging itself in Naraku's chest. The dragon grunted, turning his furious red eyes on the young man and taking a hold of the chain, ripping it from his chest.

"You fool," he scoffed, "your human weapons won't do any better on this body…"

"But this will Naraku!" Miroku called from beside his brother, "Now that I've finally got you I swear to any gods listening that I will not let you get away!" He reached one hand over his shoulder, unstrapping the halberd secured there and raising it in front of him, it's twisted tip pointed directly at the dragon demon.

Naraku smirked, "and just what do you plan to do with that?" he asked, "stab me like your brother did? I already told you it won't do any good…"

"You'd be surprised…wind tunnel!" Miroku shouted, and then he struck the air with his weapon. At first nothing happened and the pause was only long enough for everyone to wonder before a black hole opened up in the sky and began to pull everything inside at a rapid pace, the grass, the trees and anything else that stood in the way were being sucked up. "Behind me, all of you," Miroku ordered and none of his companions questioned him for so much as a second before moving out of the way of the halberd's powerful vacuum.

"Feh," Naraku scowled, looking unimpressed with the weapon's ability even as it drew him closer. "You think I am unprepared for such things?" he asked, raising his sword for the first time and bringing it down diagonally in front of him. A blade of red light hissed as it left the weapon, nearly slicing Miroku in two, and it might have had he not blocked the attack with his halberd and closed the wind tunnel in doing so.

"Damn you Naraku…" Miroku growled as he prepared his halberd for a second attack. "You think something like that will scare me away."

"I would hope not," The dragon taunted with a smirk, "if it was that easy then there would be no point in going on like this, would there?"

Kagome watched the pair exchange words from her new position behind the hunter. _'The vapors have gotten stronger…'_ She thought, and she covered her nose with one hand and closed her eyes as she tried to ward off the oncoming headache. _'Especially because of that strange halberd of his, when it opened up that hole it drew the miasma in closer, but why? Is it_ _because_ _he was cut open…?'_ she forced her eyes open, seeking out Naraku and looking at his shoulder wound. No blood escaped from it, but if she focused she could tell that that was the location where the smell was the strongest. _'Does he…bleed miasma?' _Her thoughts were quickly distracted however as a new scent entered her nostrils. _'It's Sesshoumaru…he's coming…'_

Naraku seemed to notice this too, turning his head slightly to face the direction from where the dog lord was traveling. He was still for a brief moment, before returning to face his enemies with the same, confident and cruel smirk he'd worn earlier. "You foolish bastards will see soon enough my true power," he told them, "when I have stolen all of the treasures and awakened my brother, Onigumo."

Then he sheathed the sword at his hip and turned to leave. Kagome, the first to realize his plan, leapt out in front of the others. "I'll be damned if I'm going to let you get away, Naraku!" She snarled, and with her elbows bent, she brought her hands together, feeling the warmth of her fire magic as a large flame grew in between her fingers. She barely noticed Inuyasha coming up beside her, sword drawn, as she threw her arms out in front of her body and sent a massive stream of fire after the retreating dragon. Inuyasha brought sword down at the same moment, and the power of the wind scar mixed easily with the blue flames to create a tornado of the pairs combined powers.

Looking past the swirling mass they could see Naraku turn to face the oncoming threat. He didn't look scared or even worried, instead fully extending his arms to either side of his body and smirking at them, laughing at them. The he disappeared into a cloud of miasma, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha's combined power to collide with the mass of poisonous gasses.

"Shit…" Kagome choked, looking towards Inuyasha and then to the others who stood behind her. _'It's going to explode!'_ she thought franticly, "Run!"

…

Inuyasha awoke to the sound of a single wolf's lonely howl slicing through the cool air around him. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the brightness of his surroundings, and his mind took longer still to recollect his memory of the previous day's events. He first took in the dull gray color of the sky above him before quickly coming to realize that it wasn't the sky but the stone ceiling of a cave, then the feel of something soft and warm below him and the sound of a gentle rain falling outside. Finally he registered the presence of another.

Kagome sat cross legged beside him. Her penetrating blue eyes stared past his body and into his soul and her whole body focused on him except for one ear, which twisted backwards for a brief moment as another call was sounded from the same wolf. "You're awake," Kagome acknowledged after a moment of silence between them, "how do you feel?"

"Uh…" he moaned, and then his mind chose that distinct moment to let memories of their encounter with Naraku the day before crash down upon him. He cringed and moaned again, louder, both hands coming up to cover his eyes as he rolled onto his side, facing the hybrid beside him, an action he realized a second later was a horrible idea as pain ripped through his whole body.

"Damn it!" He yelled as his right fist met with the ground, his eyebrows furrowed in a mix of agony and fury. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" he continued, his fist pounding again and again against the unforgiving stone. It hurt, but the pain in his hand was nothing compared to that in the rest of his body, and the damage to his pride. "He got away! We fucking _lost_!"

Kagome said nothing. Her eyes narrowed on him slightly and then she climbed to her feet, turning and walking towards the mouth of the cave, stopping only just before the rain could hit her.

He watched her as stood there, remaining as still as if she were made of stone. Patches of blood stained her clothing, on her back, shoulders and on both arms, but he had no way of knowing whether it was hers or not. It could have been his; after all, he knew she had to have carried him here.

His eyes drifted to his own body. His haori and kosode had been removed, and his chest and arms were wrapped in bandages, although where the half demon had managed to find such things was beyond him. His left leg was in a splint, made from several pieces of long, thick wood and what looked to be a combination of strong vines and more bandages. Below him he found both his kosode and haori covering a pile of what he guessed to be leaves if the crunching sound was anything to go by to create a comfortable mattress.

He braced himself and then rolled onto his back, barely able to suppress a moan of pain. Then pressing both hands against the cold, rocky ground on either side to support himself he tried to rise. He quickly thought better of it as pain shot through his left side and he instead lifted one hand to press gingerly against his ribs, wincing as he realized several were broken.

"You shouldn't try to get up yet…" Kagome said, having moved to crouch beside him again, "you've got broken ribs on top of all those other injuries," she told him, gesturing with one hand to the bandages covering his body.

"You…" he started, glancing at his bandaged chest briefly before his eyes drifted back to her, "you did this…?"

She looked surprised. "Of course. Who else would have?"

'_That's right, we're alone…'_ he thought, his eyes growing wide with fear of what fate could have fallen on his other four friends, '_Kohaku, Miroku, Shippou, Hoshi…' _he struggled to sit up again, only stopped by one clawed hand pushing him firmly back onto the makeshift mattress.

"Where are they?" he demanded, even as he allowed her to push him back. "What happened to them?"

He didn't have to go any further for Kagome to know exactly who it was he was talking about. Her eyes drifted away from his and she slowly retracted her hand. "I don't know," she admitted finally, "I couldn't find anyone else…"

An uneasy feeling quickly took up residence inside of him, settling heavily in his gut and rising to his throat. "Shit…" he managed, hating how weak his voice sounded, "then they could be…"

"I have wolves searching for them." Kagome interrupted quickly. "Don't start jumping to conclusions until we have some more answers."

"Wolves…?" Inuyasha asked, suddenly remembering the two lone howls he had heard earlier. He turned back to look up at her, hopeful, "have they found anything?"

Her ears flattened back against her head, "not yet…"

Silence returned between the pair for a brief moment, both of them lost within their own thoughts. They had no way of knowing where their friends had landed after the explosion hit, how bad their injuries might be or if they were even alive. Their only choice was to wait. Inuyasha couldn't move, and without Hoshi's powers, he had no choice but to wait until his body healed by itself. In the meantime, Kagome refused to leave his side for longer than a few minutes. After all, he couldn't defend himself against any demon that might come along and decide he was an easy target. That didn't keep Inuyasha from trying to persuade her however.

"You can go…" he began, meeting her gaze and then nodding in the direction of the cave's exit. "Your nose is better at picking up scents than any regular wolf's nose would be, you might be able to find something they can't."

"And what," Kagome asked in disbelief, "leave you here alone?"

"Keh, I can take care of myself." Inuyasha pointed out, although they both knew that wasn't the case right then. He reached for his sword lying beside him and lifted it towards her, "you can use this at the opening…it'll create a barrier…"

Kagome eyed the blade skeptically. Sure the Tetsusaiga was powerful, and she had no doubt that it had the ability to create a barrier, but she was far too protective of the injured swordsman to leave him long enough for anything besides hunting and taking care of nature's urges. Why she was so protective over said man was beyond her. He was one of the most infuriating, stubborn and overly confident people she had ever met.

'_I suppose I could at least check in with the wolves,' _she thought, closing her hand around the Tetsusaiga's sheath, _'I should hunt too. Inuyasha will need to eat something soon, and I could use a decent meal as well.' _

She nodded to Inuyasha as she climbed to her feet. "I won't be far." She told him firmly, and then moved across the cave to where her scythe rested against the stone wall. She brushed the staff with one hand, admiring it for a brief moment before taking it in her hand opposite the Tetsusaiga and crouching down beside Inuyasha again.

"You can take this," she told him, "it'll hardly be worth using in your hands, but if a demon gets through the barrier and I'm not back in time…" she gave him a look, making sure he understood this would _not_ be the case, "you can defend yourself."

"You don't need to worry…" he told her, "The Tetsusaiga is perfectly capable of keeping me safe…" but he took the weapon despite himself and a small smile curled his lips upwards.

"I'm not worried!" she snapped.

Inuyasha was about to point out her obvious lie when another call, this time much different from the others, sliced through the air. It was unmistakably made by a wolf, but it was much different from any wolf's howl Inuyasha had ever heard before. It was more like a song, and he found himself frozen until the last note had ended.

As he regained control of his body, his eyes slowly drifted back to the hybrid above him. Her eyes were glazed slightly as she stared over her shoulder, looking towards the mouth of the cave. "Kazuo…" she whispered, so softly that Inuyasha barely heard her.

"Who?" Inuyasha asked, and then continued impatiently. "What's going on, Kagome? Did they find something?"

"Kazuo." Kagome repeated, turning back to him for a brief moment before looking away again, "they still haven't found anything…"

Inuyasha seemed disheartened with this information, but he covered it easily with curiosity towards the new name. "Kazuo…" he said, testing the word on his tongue. A wolf he guessed, probably a wolf demon, and definitely someone Kagome was familiar with. "Who is he?"

"My cousin." She replied breezily as she stood.

She didn't seem reluctant to leave his side any longer and he felt himself tense as he recalled their last run in with her older half-sister. _'If this cousin of hers is anything like Kikyou…'_ he thought warily, _'then it could mean another battle. That's the last thing we need right now.'_

Kagome must have sensed his unease, because she glanced back at him from where she now stood a handful of feet away at the mouth of the cave, one hand clutching the Tetsusaiga's sheath while the other rested lightly on the guard. She smiled over her shoulder at him. "He's a friend…" she promised, and then drew the sword.

His eyes widened as he saw Tetsusaiga emerge, looking different from how it normally did. It still appeared as the same rusty old blade that usually presented itself when anyone besides Inuyasha would wield it; however it took on a light blue shade, almost white. The same color Kagome's scythe would glow whenever she used it in battle. An unusual hiss rose from the weapon as it pulsed beneath her hands, smoke rising from beneath her palms. Kagome didn't seem to notice, or if she did she ignored it. Instead she planted the tip firmly into the soil beneath her feet, tied the sheath to her hip as Inuyasha usually did, and disappeared into the rain leaving Inuyasha to wonder what exactly had occurred between her and the Tetsusaiga.

…

Shippou wandered aimlessly through the forest beyond the southern lands. He tried his best to remain silent as he didn't know how many demons may be lurking in the shadows, but he couldn't help the occasional whimper or sniffle that escaped from his throat. He was lucky to be mostly unharmed from Naraku's attack and the explosion that had followed. When the dragon had arrived, Hoshi had instructed him to go, hide and he had done just that. He had then watched from that hiding spot, through wide, terror filled eyes as his friends fought against the dragon. _'They weren't doing too badly'_ he thought, _'until Naraku tried to run and Kagome and Inuyasha tried to stop him. Then there was that explosion and everyone was...'_

The cut on his cheek was from a sharp piece of wood that had sliced through his flesh on the way past. The bruises were from his landing, which he figured must have been much less damaging then that of the others since he had been partially shielded from the explosion. His clothes were torn as well and stained with dirt, which was quickly being washed away by the rain as it soaked his tiny body.

"They're…They're all dead!" he cried, and suddenly a new wave of tears that he had been trying to hold back broke free. He stopped in the middle of the forest, falling to his knees as he sobbed loudly, "I'm left alone again…Hoshi…Kagome…Inuyasha…Kohaku…Miroku …"

He remained on his knees, his head bowed and his hands fisted in the soft earth below him even as his sobs eventually turned back into sniffles. He lifted one hand to rub pointlessly at his tears, but only succeeded in dirtying his face further as the dirt and the tears mixed and turned to mud on his face.

"I'll avenge them…" he managed as he slowly climbed back to his feet, "when I'm bigger…stronger…I'll avenge them and kill that Naraku…"

"How delicious…" a strange voice hissed from above him. Shippou nearly leapt out of his skin at the sound of the unfamiliar and soon to be discovered very unwelcome voice. His eyes shot up to meet with the black, hungry eyes of what appeared to be a giant cockroach standing directly in his path. How long it had been there and just how hungry it was were not important, the boy realized, running was, but his body wasn't moving.

The beast was huge, towering over the little hybrid by at least 50 feet and reaching out with it's antennae to inspect his body, still paralyzed by fear. It took a step closer. "A vengeful little human boy…" it hissed, "I can't wait to taste you…"

"A…a demon…" Shippou squeaked, finally finding his voice and afterwards remembering the rest of his body. The boy pedaled backwards as fast as he could without taking his eyes off of the giant insect, but he only succeeded in slipping in the mud and ending up on his back. He turned onto his belly and clawed at the slippery ground in an effort to pull himself up, but he soon found himself trapped helplessly beneath one of the cockroaches six, spine covered legs.

"Don't eat me!" He cried, looking over one shoulder at the giant insect. It ignored his request of course. Instead the giant insect leaned towards him, its jaws open wide. _'No!'_ Shippou thought as the demon grew closer still. He could feel it's disgusting breath on the back of his neck as he folded his arms over the top of his head and squeezed his eyes closed tightly, waiting to be devoured.

"Hiraikotsu!" A voice cried from somewhere behind the insect and Shippou let out a terror filled scream as something suddenly tore through the demon's flesh. As the demon's body fell away from him the young hybrid was left free to move and so without a thought towards who or what might have saved him, he scrambled to his feet and took off in the opposite direction. He was only stopped once when he was forced to dodge whatever it was that had destroyed his captor as the weapon came flying back in his direction. Once his path was open again he took off as fast as his feet could possibly carry him, ignoring the cries of his unknown savior to wait.

He ran, not caring where he went as long as he was far away from what he was sure was a much more dangerous monster then the cockroach. It had, after all, taken out the giant insect with only one swing of what he imagined was some sort of long claw or a retractable limb. And now it was after him.

He let himself slow after a moment when it seemed the monster wasn't following him, but he wasn't convinced enough that he wouldn't seek out a place to hide. He spotted a hollow tree stump large enough for him to fit, and dove for the entrance, pulling away clumps of dirt and leaves that were in his way before ducking inside where he remained motionless.

Seconds passed, and soon became minutes, but the boy remained in his hiding spot. It wasn't until nearly twenty minutes had passed that he allowed himself to relax slightly. His arms, which had been holding his knees in a death grip loosened slightly and he lifted his head, glancing over one shoulder at the hole he had crawled through, listening. Only the sound of the rain, which had turned to a light drizzle, and the occasional bird song answered him.

"I'm…I'm alive…" he whispered, and turned within the small hollow until he faced the exit. He didn't have long to get comfortable however, as a moan startled him. With a yelp of surprise, which he immediately regretted, he ducked even further inside the hollow stump. It could be anything. It could be the creature that had saved him with intentions, he was sure, to take him for itself, or it could be another demon. He knew the woods were crawling with them, especially still being so close to the southern border.

"I wish the others were here…." he whispered, his voice muffled by his fists which he had pressed tightly against his mouth. Another moan drifted from outside the youth's hiding spot, and swallowing hard, the boy let curiosity get the best of him. He crawled on his hands and knees to where he could peek outside, looking both ways before slowly, hesitantly, crawling out a little farther.

At first there was nothing out of the ordinary. A few trees scattered about the forest, weeds poking up out of the ground and a small hill that sloped downwards off to the right. Still feeling brave and curious the boy continued on his hands and knees until he was at the edge of the hill and looked down to see the body of a human man face down in the mud.

"A human? Was he attacked by demons too?" he asked himself quietly, sitting on the edge of the hill and then sliding down towards the unconscious stranger on his butt. He frowned as he reached the body, reaching out tentatively to brush the man's dark hair away from his face. Then he recognized him, and his eyes grew wide and filled with tears.

"Miroku!" He squealed, no longer caring to be quiet. "Miroku, it's you! I thought everyone was dead, but…but…" his words drifted off when he realized that he was talking to an unconscious body. He reached out, both hands on one shoulder and gave the hunter a desperate shake.

"Miroku…" He whimpered, "Please wake up…" he shook him a bit harder but Miroku still remained unresponsive. Shippou sniffed and then swallowed hard, shifting until he was kneeling beside the older man's head and then burying his face in his clothed shoulder.

"Don't leave me…" he begged, "Please don't leave me…"

A gentle hand on his back startled him seconds later, and he whipped around, his back pressed firmly against Miroku's side. "Don't hurt me!" He cried, shielding his face with both hands and closing his eyes as he waited for the worst. "Don't eat me! I won't taste good at all!"

A gentle laugh, distinctly that of a female was his response. "I won't hurt you…why don't you open your eyes and see, hmm?"

After a moments hesitation the young hybrid peeled one eye open, peeking up fearfully at whatever creature might have found him. A woman, about Miroku or Inuyasha's age crouched a handful of feet in front of him with her arms folded comfortably in her lap. Her brown eyes were soft and understanding as she stared down at him and her smile gentle. Thick brown hair fell over her shoulders and down her back, tied off near the bottom with a simple white ribbon and she wore a simple pink and white kimono with a leaf green skirt that covered most of her legs.

Over one shoulder hung what appeared to be a giant boomerang, many times the size it usually would have been, and decorated with a handful of brown leather straps and yellow tassels. Beside her sat a cat, or at least it appeared to be a cat on first inspection. A second look revealed bright red eyes and two thick tails revealing it to be some sort of demon. It too stared at the boy with a friendly expression.

"Uh…uhm…" Shippou started, still unsure and untrusting of the pair before him. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled. "My name is Sango," she told him, reaching down to scratch at the demon cat's cream colored fur. "This is Kirara. She's the one who found you."

Shippou's eyes drifted back down to the small demon. She wasn't any bigger then the size one would expect a regular cat to be, maybe even smaller. She was covered in cream colored fur, with four black paws, black ears, a black diamond on her forehead and a black stripe that seemed to wrap around each one of her tails.

'_They seem friendly enough…'_ Shippou thought as he looked again at Sango. "I'm…" he started meekly, "I'm Shippou…"

Sango smiled down at him sweetly, but her expression then changed to one of concern as she looked towards the still unconscious demon hunter behind the boy. "And your friend?"

Shippou jumped and then glanced behind him at the man in question. In being as distracted as he was by the new arrivals he had nearly forgotten about Miroku and his injured state. "That's right!" He shouted, turning and grabbing the man by one sleeve, "Miroku! I've got to get him help! He's injured!"

"Shippou-chan, wait…" Sango began, again reaching out to touch the boy gently on one shoulder. When he turned back to look at her, his face stained with tears for the umpteenth time she continued, "Let us help you. I know somewhere safe, and Kirara can carry him."

Shippou looked down at the cat demon skeptically. He knew better then to think the tiny creature was as much of a weakling as it could be mistaken for, but could something that small really carry a full grown man? His question was answered as Kirara took a few steps away from her master, her fur bristled and she was suddenly engulfed in flames, pulling a sharp cry of surprise from Shippou's throat.

When the flames fell away seconds later a much larger demon emerged in the tiny cat's place. It looked exactly as Kirara had, aside from now being much larger, the size of a small horse in fact, and having two saber fangs protruding from either side of it's mouth. Kirara cocked her head to the side slightly, staring down at Shippou and then leaning down to lick his cheek in a reassuring manor.

Sango reached out to give Kirara a friendly rub on her forehead, then stepped around Shippou to inspect Miroku. He had yet to show any sign of life aside from the shallow rise and fall of his chest and she knew by the looks of him that his wounds must be bad, but she refused to just leave him there, especially when there was a young boy, barely five years old by the looks of it, relying on his companionship.

She knelt down in the mud and, wrapping one arm around his back and reaching out for his arm with the opposite hand she was able to support him and lift him from the ground. Looking at him out of the corner of her eye as he rose limply beside her he looked even worse, but she kept a straight face and a positive attitude, for Shippou sake if nothing else.

She looked down at the boy as she passed him, dragging the man's body along with her as she neared Kirara again and then settling his body over the demon cat's back. "Come here, Shippou-chan…" she ordered, although gently and scooping him up in her arms as he came to her obediently. She then climbed onto Kirara's back, sitting behind the unconscious man and her young charge. She gave her friend a soft pat on the shoulder and smiled. "Ok, Kirara…take us home…"

…

Kagome's right hand twitched at her side as she walked. She had been surprised when she drew the Tetsusaiga from it's sheath, although she hadn't allowed it to show. _'When I took it out back there it was as if it locked onto me immediately and I was able to channel my powers through it without even thinking…'_ she thought, raising her hand into her line of vision. Nothing had changed physically, but she could still feel the warmth of Inuyasha's sword on her palm. _'My scythe had never been like that. It's the first time I've ever felt such a thing with a weapon…it was almost as if already knew me somehow…' _

She paused, lifting her head towards the cloudy sky above and allowing the rain to run across her face and fall into her eyes. _'So maybe that was the bond that old sword smith told me about back then…'_ she thought, _'but isn't it strange that I experienced it with the Tetsusaiga and not my scythe which I handle more often? Is it because the Tetsusaiga is different somehow?'_

"_The scythe will create a bond with you…then you'll see it's true power…" _

"Yeah, yeah, old man…" Kagome grumbled, folding her arms across her chest and continuing through the forest, "but just how am I supposed to get it the bond with me? You never explained that."

'_No use worrying about it now I suppose,' _she thought, even as she continued mulling over ideas in her mind. Maybe it was because her scythe was much younger then the Tetsusaiga. After all, it had only been created a month ago, shortly before Kagome and the others began their journey to the four kingdoms. Maybe it was because Kagome hadn't explored the weapon's powers all that much yet. Sure she had found a way to make the blade hot with her fire, making it a lot more effective in battle then it normally would be, but she hadn't explored the weapon much past that and she rarely used it in battle. She still preferred her claws and her fire magic to using the scythe, at least until she could understand it better. Maybe it was a combination of those two things, or maybe she was just thinking about it too much.

"Ugh, it doesn't matter! I've got enough to think about right now without worrying over some stupid weapon!" Kagome snapped out loud pausing again and pressing the heel of each hand to her temples while her eyes closed tightly. A moment later she opened them again, scowling down at Tetsusaiga's sheath which still hung at her side. "This is all your fault…" she told the sword, rolling her eyes at her own behavior a moment later. "Whatever, I'll talk with Inuyasha later. He seems to understand more about it then I do…"

It wasn't a second after she started walking again that a howl cut through the air. It was Kazuo calling for her again, and this time Satoshi's song drifted through the air alongside his. _'So they both came…'_ she thought, her lips curling up into a toothy grin. _'Good, I've missed them both. How long has it been? Three years or maybe longer…' _

Without hesitating she tilted her head back and returned their calls with a howl of her own, deep and filled with emotion. She dropped her head a moment later, her ears pitched forward as she waited. She didn't have to wait long. Soon the voices of her pack mates reached her ears again and she was off in a sprint before they'd even finished.

The forest flashed by as she ran, gaining speed with every step. _'All these years that I've been gone I've forgotten what it felt like to belong to a pack,' _she thought, a warm smile crossing her lips, _'I mean sure there's been Inuyasha and the other's but it's not the same. They aren't my pack, they aren't my family…' _

She caught sight of a gray blur out of the corner of one eye and came to a stop so fast she nearly fell backwards. She was far from concerned with her sloppiness however. She was too busy staring with wide blue eyes up into the highest branches of a nearby tree where he stood.

"Kazuo…" she whispered, not taking her eyes off his.

He hadn't changed since she'd last seen him, not that she had expected him to. He still wore the same black and blue checked haori and brown hakama that she'd remembered from years ago, looking even more tattered and torn then they had before. He hadn't aged a single day, as was to be expected, neither had she, thanks to her partial demon blood. Perhaps the only difference, besides a superficial tear in his right ear, was the look in his crystal blue eyes. He may not have aged a day physically, but his eyes held much more wisdom then they did when she had left him in charge of the pack that fateful day three years ago. Back then he he had been playful and cocky, still just a pup according to the demon world of aging. Now she could see that he had grown much calmer and wiser just by staring into his eyes.

'_Being left in charge of a pack like mine will do that to you, little cousin…' _She thought, turning her attention to another figure, nearly a foot taller and with a bit more thickness in his body then Kazuo, as he came up beside her cousin. He was bent over, his hands resting on his knees as he caught his breath.

"Kazuo…" he panted, "You run much too fast, you know? Even after all these years following you and Kagome around I still can't keep up…" his words drifted off as he caught Kagome's stare from below and then a wide, toothy grin spread across his face as he pointed one clawed finger in her direction. "There she is now!"

"Hello Satoshi…" Kagome greeted as her two pack mates leapt from the branches and landed before her. Satoshi wasted no time in walking up and closing Kagome in a powerful embrace. He was the largest and the tallest of her pack, but also the gentlest. His amber colored eyes were always kind and understanding.

"Satoshi," Kagome's voice was muffled by his shoulder, "Satoshi…let go…"

He did as she asked, smiling at her sheepishly as he pulled away and rubbing at the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry, sorry…" he said, "I couldn't help myself. We haven't seen you or heard from you in three years. We've missed you."

'_No reason for him to grab onto me like that.' _Kagome thought as she brushed herself off a bit, regarding the wolf demon with a glare. _'He's more like a bear then a wolf. A big, cuddly bear that couldn't do harm to others even if he wanted to most of the time… '_

He had more scruff on his face then she'd remembered, and his hair was longer, falling just past his shoulders in thick, black waves. Aside from that he seemed the same. He still wore the same red and white vertically striped haori and gray hakama, and he still had the same dorky grin. He looked mostly human. His pointed ears, claws, fangs and amber eyes were the only features that kept him from having a perfectly human appearance, something Kagome had occasionally found herself jealous of in the past. Now she only brushed off the unwelcome feelings. It wasn't Satoshi's fault after all.

"Kagome?" Satoshi asked, fisting both of his hands in red and white vertically striped haori and tugging on it gently. "You're, uh…covered in blood…"

Kagome glanced down at her own clothes. He was right, Inuyasha's blood still covered most of her upper half and even with the rain it had refused to leave. _'Smells terrible,'_ she thought, as she always did when the scent of human blood filled her nostrils. _'I've been so distracted that I didn't think to clean it earlier.'_ She quickly stripped out of her haori leaving only her white kosode behind, which had somehow managed to avoid being stained.

"It's not mine," she reassured her pack mates, although she was sure they could already tell. "I'll have to wash it later…or somehow get a new one…"

She then turned her attention to more important things, lifting her head and scenting the air. "It's just the two of you, huh?" She asked. She could smell Toshiko, the beta female and only third in the pecking order within her pack, but she could tell the overly confident wolf demon was not anywhere nearby. _'Probably a good thing…'_ she thought with a scowl, _'we never get along anyway…' _

"Toshiko was traveling with us for a while," Kazuo began, "but just recently we met up with Hoshi and the two of them went north to gather the rest of the pack together." He turned then, motioned for her to follow with one hand. She obliged, and Satoshi trailed after until the three of them stopped at a soft patch of grass beneath the same tree two of the wolves had perched in earlier. Kagome sat down first, and then Kazuo and Satoshi took a seat on either side of her.

Kazuo glanced sideways at her and she could see the playful smirk cross his lips out of the corner of her eye. She found herself smiling too, because the look on his face fit him much better then the serious mask he had worn only moments before.

"We thought it best to send Toshiko, instead of having Satoshi go I mean." He explained, nodding his head in the other man's direction, "because you and Toshiko never seem to get along when you're together."

Kagome sighed, her head bobbing up and down in agreement with his decision. "Good. Thank you."

A handful of minutes passed between the three where no one spoke and Kagome found herself relishing in the silence and the peace of being back within her pack. It was always with them that she felt the most content. Especially with Kazuo, Satoshi and Momoko, who was most likely one of those being gathered from the north. They were her closest pack mates, the ones who knew everything about her just like she knew everything about them and somehow they still managed to find acceptance and friendship within each other's company. They had been her first true friends and with all that she'd been through they were some of the very few who had stayed beside her and, without a doubt, would continue to do so to the very end.

"Kagome," Kazuo began again, "Where do you plan to go from here? You know no matter what we will both stand beside you…Hoshi and Momo too…"

Kagome groaned inwardly. He just had to go and ruin her peaceful mood with a serious question. Her upcoming future was not something she wanted to think about at the moment, and yet she knew it was something that had to be addressed sooner rather than later.

"I know you will, Kazuo." She said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "But what I don't know is how to answer your question…I have to face Koga, and I have to do my best to guard the northern lands and the treasure from Naraku…" Kazuo and Satoshi both turned towards her, hearing the tension in her voice and feeling it in her body still pressed in between them.

"But?" Satoshi probed softly.

She wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them up to her chest, her knees creating a cushion for her chin to rest on. "But…" she began again, "I have some other things I need to take care of first…"

"You've been traveling with a pack of humans." Kazuo said, "Hoshi told us quite a bit about them."

Kagome nodded, "One of them was badly injured when we faced Naraku, and the others…I can't even say if they're alive or dead…" she closed her eyes and let out a frustrated growl, "Either way I can't leave the one I've got with me now, Inuyasha, at least not for long. He'll have to be able to stand on his own and lift his sword before I'm satisfied."

Kazuo nodded in understanding. "You've always had a strong pull towards your human side, to protect them…to be with them…" he ignored her when she glared at him and went on, "much more then I did. Maybe it's because you were so close to your father. I never knew my mother you know."

"Whatever Kazuo…" Kagome replied grudgingly, although she knew he was right, and his assumptions were probably correct too. She'd been very close to her father before he died when she was only seven, yet Kazuo had never known his human mother. She had grown sick the winter after he was born and never recovered.

"Either way…" Kagome said, "Unless I can find something to do with Inuyasha, or at least locate the others, I will be stuck here until he heals a bit more." She exchanged looks between the two wolves, "You two understand?"

"Of course," Satoshi replied, and Kazuo nodded in agreement, "is there anything we can do in the meantime?"

"I have a pack tracking the others…help them, see if you can find anything…" she said, regretfully climbing to her feet. She didn't want to leave her pack mates, but the scent of a demon growing uncomfortably close to the cave were she had left Inuyasha forced her into action. She glanced over her shoulder at the pair. "I've got to go." she told them, appreciating the way neither of them tried to hold her back or stop her. "I'll be back.

…

Inuyasha glanced outside the cave with narrowed eyes. He didn't have to feel the demon's aura to know it was just outside the barrier, picking up the scent of his blood and undoubtedly imagining a million different ways to devour him. His hand tightened on the scythe's staff as he caught his first glimpse of the monster. It was a snake demon, that much was obvious by it's lengthy body. It's flesh was brown and rough like the bark of a tree and it's eyes were emerald green. He watched as it tasted the air and then looked right at him, unhinging it's jaws to reveal a pair of most likely venomous fangs.

It leaned in towards the cave's entrance, "You look delicious…" it hissed, slithering closer and closer.

'_Shit…'_ Inuyasha thought, watching as it's nose poked in through the mouth of the cave. _'The barrier is not working? I thought—' _

His worries died however when the snake suddenly jerked back with a cry, the bark like armor on it's face having melted away. "How dare you!" the snake hissed, wringing it's body furiously as it tried unsuccessfully to rub the pain away by burying it's head in the soft earth. "How dare you trick me like that!"

'_That wasn't how the barrier normally acts…'_ Inuyasha thought, watching the snake as it withered and twitched outside the cave, _'Was it because of something Kagome did? The blue glow I saw when she unsheathed it earlier?' _

Before he could think any further on the topic he saw the snake freeze before it quickly lifted itself from the ground and whipped it's head around to stare at something Inuyasha couldn't see. A feral snarl followed and before the serpent could react with anything more than a loud cry of protest it was torn completely in two. A second passed before Kagome stepped into his vision, glancing at him, and then back at the snake's carcass. She stayed for a moment, watching it as if she was expecting it to put up more of a fight but it didn't. She grumbled under her breath as she stepped into the cave, pausing only a moment to remove the sword from the cave's entrance.

"Did you find anything?" Inuyasha asked, watching her carefully as she sheathed the Tetsusaiga and then deposited the sword and her bloody haori on the ground beside him.

"Nothing," she replied, sitting down cross legged not far from him, "but I didn't expect to, I didn't go very far." She explained, "I met with two of my pack mates. They'll have a better chance of finding the others then a pack of regular mutts will, and they'll let me know if they find anything…"

Inuyasha nodded, watching as her eyes raked over his injured body. It was as if she was making sure he hadn't somehow managed to cause himself new injuries while she was away. His own gaze lifted to the ceiling and he sighed, his mind turning towards his other teammates for the hundredth time. _'Kohaku, Miroku, Shippou, Hoshi…' _he thought, 'Where are you?'

He was nearly positive that Hoshi was alive and well, although if that was the case he hadn't any clue as to why she hadn't found them yet. Shippou had been hiding and with his demon blood still in his veins the swordsman was sure there was no need to worry for the fox hybrid. Kohaku and Miroku, both even more human then himself, were a different story entirely.

'_If they're gone…' _he thought, _'what will I do? Return to the village or continue on my own?'_

The answer came to him immediately and sent the half demon beside him a sidelong glance. Even without Kohaku or Miroku or the others, he still had Kagome by his side. "Hey," Inuyasha began suddenly; "if the others don't make it back…" he drifted off for a moment, his expression thoughtful. He shook his head as second later as if clearing unpleasant thoughts from his mind before continuing, "Whatever the case in the end, I'm still going."

Kagome blinked back at him curiously when he turned to give her an expecting look, as if waiting for her to answer and unasked question. "You mean you plan to carry on with the journey?" she asked to clarify, "alone?" she shook her head, "Inuyasha that's…practically suicide…"

His eyes narrowed on her. "You're pretty strong though, aren't you? I'm sure having someone like you around would help." he turned away then before adding, "not that I wouldn't be fine on my own."

Kagome stared at him in disbelief. Was he, in an indirect sort of way, trying to ask her to come along with him? She quickly removed that possibility from her head. That couldn't be right, after all asking such a thing would imply that he actually wanted her around, wouldn't it? And although they had, against all odds managed to become someone who the other would consider a friend, that wasn't enough for the hybrid to make any assumptions just yet. She was a half demon, and as a general rule, it was very rare for someone to want her around for anything other than her strength, friends or not. Then again, it was also rare for anyone to consider her a friend at all, and vice versa. She could think of only five that shared a bond with her much stronger then titles, stereotypes and symbiotic relationships. Those that she considered true friends, those that wanted to be with her for the same reasons she wanted to be with them.

'_So obviously he just wants me because of my strength, right?'_ she asked herself. She knew how that worked. They called themselves friends but they weren't, not really, more like allies, people with the same goal in mind that longed for companionship or protection. Kagome sighed and covered her eyes with one hand, gently massaging her temples with the tips of her fingers. _'Even if he's different…even if he says he's a friend for the right reasons…'_ she thought sadly, _'I can't stay. I have to go and fulfill my duty in the north.' _

Her hand dropped to her lap suddenly, catching Inuyasha attention. She winced as she looked at him, taking in the calm look on his face. He was of course completely oblivious to the lies that she was about to reveal, and if he got angry with her, and she was sure he would, he had every right to be.

"Listen…uh…" she started uneasily. Unable to keep his gaze her eyes fell to her hands, folded neatly in her lap, "there's something I should probably tell you…"

"Something you need to tell me?" Inuyasha repeated, remaining blissfully ignorant. He did however realize after a few more minutes of silence passed between the pair that it might not be something he wanted to hear, either that or it was concerning an uncomfortable topic for the half demon. "Kagome…" he started, reaching out to touch her hand gently, to gain her attention, but it only seemed to make things worse and she jerked away from his touch. He frowned, "what's wrong?"

"I…" she tried, closing her eyes and then opening them with a newfound determination. "I can't go with you anymore…there's things I have to take care of in the north."

"The things Sesshoumaru was talking about?" Inuyasha asked, "But I thought that wasn't anything important, not like you should listen to anything that bastard says anyway…"

"You don't understand." Kagome grumbled, wondering halfheartedly if she would have to spell it out for him to understand. _'I have to go because I'm the god that is supposed to be ruling there, fool! Don't you get it?'_ she bit her tongue to keep those not-so-gentle words from escaping her lips. She wanted to keep this as easy and non-confrontational as possible. Yelling wouldn't get them anywhere. "Higurashi, Misako, the wolf god of the north," she took a deep breath, "also my mother. She was killed three years ago by the dragon, Naraku, just like Hoshi said that night.

"I didn't have a name for him up until then, you know, you were there when Kikyou attacked us and after that when Hoshi revealed the name of Kaasan's killer…" she explained, "anyway, now the wolves are in chaos. Koga's there but he doesn't have the strength or the brains to lead a pack into battle if Naraku chooses to attack there next, and I know for a fact that he doesn't care what happens to the treasure either, so that's why…I have to go…I can't stay…"

Her words drifted off finally and she spared a look at the man lying before her. He hadn't spoken a single word since she'd begun or so much as made even a sound, instead he stared up at the walls of the cave, his expression thoughtful. "You're saying that you," he hesitated only a second before going on, "you're the daughter of Higurashi-sama, the ruling lady of the north…a god…"

Kagome eyes drifted back to her lap. "Half god." She corrected habitually. "My father was human."

Inuyasha didn't seem to hear her. He looked as if he was gradually becoming more distressed. His whole body became ridged and his fists clenched at his sides, his brows furrowed and Kagome was sure if he looked at the stone wall around them any harder he might melt a hole in it. "You lied." he said after another moment, turning his head to settle her with his furious glare. "You lied straight to my face. When I asked you why Sesshoumaru wanted you to go north you could have told me then but you didn't...instead you…"

Kagome squirmed beneath his gaze, managing a single nod in conformation. So much for keeping things easy and non-confrontational, "I…yeah…"

"Leave."

Kagome glanced at him, unsure if she'd heard correctly. "What?"

"Leave!" Inuyasha shouted, much louder this time. He turned away from her and with a respectable amount of effort and resistance of pain, managed to roll onto his side, presenting her with his back. "I don't care what you do, follow that bastard's orders and go north for all I care—" he continued, "I want you out of my sight!"

Kagome bit back a protest, her ears flattening against her head. His words stung, much more then they should have in her opinion. It wasn't as if she hadn't expected him to be mad, it wasn't as if she was going to stay together anyway, it wasn't as if she had expected him to really, truly be her friend…but the words stung just the same.

'_Stupid.'_ she thought, berating herself, _'it was stupid to get close to anybody, especially a human.'_

After another moment passed, she sent Inuyasha a remorseful look, although he couldn't see it, and stood. She wouldn't leave, not just yet. He was still far from being strong enough to be left on his own in her opinion, and whether he liked it or not, he would still need her protection for the next two weeks or longer. Finding a village suitable to leave him in would be preferable but that required her actually making contact with humans, humans who most likely would be wary of her and therefor unapproachable. Another option was to leave him in the care of one of her pack, but with Inuyasha's lack of trust in everything including her at the moment; it might not be the easiest choice for whichever unlucky pack mate she chose or the injured swordsman. Neither of those options seemed likely and so she could only wait for Hoshi to return from the north with the rest of her pack, and quickly.

'_Unless I want to take him home myself, but he isn't even safe to move in this condition, and Kaasan's medicine can only work so well with injuries as bad as these, not to mention the fact that it can't heal broken bones…'_ she thought, finally turning away from Inuyasha's still body and heading towards the exit. For now she needed some time alone to think, and she had a feeling Inuyasha could use some of the same.

'_I still have to find food anyway,' _she thought as she returned the Tetsusaiga to it's place at the mouth of the cave. _'I didn't get a chance to earlier because of Kazuo and Satoshi…and that damn snake…' _she glanced over her shoulder one last time to see that Inuyasha had yet to move.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, so quietly that she was sure he hadn't herd, and then slipped out.

…

"So…you and Miroku have been traveling together for some time, hm?"

"Uh huh," Shippou replied, his head bobbing up and down but his eyes never leaving the man lying before him. The saber toothed cat demon that Sango had called Kirara had been kind enough to carry Miroku's limp body as Sango led the way to her home, which turned out to be a little one-room hut in the middle of the forest. There was a hole in the roof and the only furnishings were a small dresser and a single futon, but the youngster figured it was better than staying in the hollow tree stump.

He wiped at his face again, and then looked up at Sango briefly, "do you think he'll be ok?"

She smiled over one shoulder at him. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Shippou-chan." She reassured him gently. She didn't allow her expression to change until she'd turned back to the unconscious hunter below her and was sure Shippou could no longer see her face.

She had been eager to get them back to her little hut where she could see the man's injuries in depth and hopefully bandage him well enough that he would not die. His collarbone was broken, as was his left, lower arm. On top of that he had cut his bottom lip open rather badly and his head was bleeding. Compared to those injuries the rest of his scrapes and bruises seemed like child's play. A few minutes later she was done and with a heavy sigh she sat back on her knees and brushed her hands off on her skirt.

"I've done the best that I can for him," She explained to the boy beside her, "now the rest is up to him."

Shippou nodded again, and it was rather obvious by the way he held his bottom lip in between his teeth that he was still worried. "Thanks," he managed.

"Say, Shippou-chan…" she began, attempting to distract him from his friend's poor condition, "what exactly happened to separate the two of you in the first place?"

Shippou sighed, and then looked up at her as he began his story. "We were fighting with Naraku." He told her, missing the way her expression changed from curiosity to horror as he spared a brief glance back at the demon hunter. "He's a powerful dragon demon with a nasty plan to revive his older brother, Onigumo, by stealing the three treasures guarded by the kingdoms.

"They're both evil you see, and they want to take over Japan and destroy the gods so that they can rule in their place. And we weren't doing too badly, at least not until he tried to run off. Kagome went to stop him and sent a really huge tornado of fire after him but when it hit him there was this explosion and…and everyone…"

"Shippou-chan, it's ok." Sango murmured, resting a hand gently on his shoulder. Her eyes held no comfort however, her jaw was clenched tightly and her eyes had grown stony and serious. "You had other's with you besides Miroku? You said a name…Kagome…who is she?"

"Kagome?" Shippou asked, perking up slightly at the opportunity to introduce his friends. "Kagome, she's a…" his words drifted off when a moan sounded from beside the pair and his green eyes flashed with excitement when he turned to see Miroku opening his eyes for the first time. "Miroku!" He squeaked cheerfully, leaping towards him and nuzzling his chest happily, "you're alive!"

"I am…" the hunter agreed with a weak smile, giving the boy an affectionate rub on the head. "Thanks to you I presume…" his eyes then drifted to the woman sitting beside him. "And who might this be?"

"This is Sango!" Shippou introduced, waving a hand over his shoulder at her, "She helped me get you to safety! Isn't she pretty?"

Miroku managed an amused grin as he glanced back down at the boy before returning his gaze to Sango. "Indeed she is," he didn't miss the way the unfamiliar woman's cheeks flushed at his complement. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. Perhaps when I am not in such poor condition I can give you a more proper greeting…"

"You don't mean you're going to try and touch her butt do you?" Shippou asked bluntly, gained surprised and slightly irritated looks from Sango and Miroku respectfully. "I remember what happened when you tried that with Kagome," he went on, "she almost broke your—"

"Ah, um, anyway…" Sango interrupted uneasily, sending a wary look in the demon hunter's direction and scooting further away from him. "Shippou-chan," she began, "you were telling me about your other companion? Kagome was it?"

"Oh yeah," Shippou grinned widely as he turned back to face her, "but it's not just Kagome…there's Inuyasha and Hoshi and Kohaku and Hachi…"

"Right, Shippou do you know anything of the others?" Miroku asked urgently. He started to sit up, Shippou cradled carefully in his right arm but quickly decided against it when pain shot through his body.

Shippou's face fell. "Miroku, are you ok?"

"Ah, I'm fine…" he replied, managing a smile for the youngest member of the team. "I'm more worried for the others…"

"I don't know where any of them are though." Shippou replied, ducking his head, "I'm sorry, you're the only one I could find."

"It's nothing to be ashamed about, Shippou." Miroku reassured him with a gentle hand atop his head. Despite his calm demeanor his expression held tension and worry, and his left hand fisted outside the sling. He then turned to Sango. "I'm guessing you live in this forest?" he asked, and went on after he received a nod of confirmation, "have you seen any strangers wandering around this area? Have you heard anything strange?"

"The forest has been restless." Sango replied sadly, "the demons here are frustrated by something and the wolves have been noisier than usual but I wouldn't think it would concern you…perhaps it's because of your battle with Naraku. Shippou told me."

"Wolves?" Miroku repeated, barely hearing the rest of her explanation.

"Yes, wolves." Sango replied with a nod. "But why would you be concerned over that?"

"Kagome," Miroku replied, exchanging a look with the red headed hybrid in his arms. "If the wolves are active then she might have something to do with it…"

As if having heard their conversation a rally of howls erupted from the surrounding forest, causing all of the hut's occupants to jump slightly. Howls and whines mixed together creating a choir of what sounded like hundreds of wolves but was most likely only a handful.

Shippou was the first to recover and leapt eagerly from Miroku's arms, bounding out the door following after the sound and calling to the others over one shoulder. "It's about Kagome!" He cried, "I'll find her and bring her back!"

"Shippou-chan, wait!" Sango called after him, reaching for her boomerang with one hand as she stood and prepared to run after him.

Miroku's voice stopped her, "don't worry about him." He assured her, "it's almost evening. He'll be able to take care of himself once the sun sets."

Sango stared down at him, unconvinced. After a moments hesitance her gaze fell on Kirara, who sat by the door with an expecting look. "Go after him, Kirara." she ordered, "make sure he stays safe."

The cat demon, who had much earlier returned to her smaller form, burst into flame only to reappear much larger and with large saber fangs. With a snarl she disappeared the same way Shippou had moment earlier. Satisfied Sango took a seat and turned her attention back to the hunter. "Now that that's settled…" she started, "you can tell me what you know about Kagome and Naraku."

…

"You have to eat something."

"I told you I don't want it, wench."

Kagome scowled down at the injured swordsman. _'I get it,'_ she thought wryly, _'now that he's pissed at me he's going to start calling me names again…stupid idiot, I should just leave him here and see how long it takes for him to starve to death!' _Kagome removed that thought from her head immediately. Although it was temping with as difficult as Inuyasha was being at that particular moment, she knew she wouldn't leave his side no matter how frustrated she got, at least not until he could take care of himself.

'_At least he's refrained from calling me a half breed…so far…'_ she thought, _'I hate that.'_

"If you eat something it'll help your body heal faster…" Kagome pointed out, waving a cooked fish over his face, only inches from his nose. "Then I can leave and you'll never have to deal with me again."

'_And vice versa' _she added in her head.

"I don't need you to take care of me!" He yelled for what felt like the hundredth time, "I'm perfectly fine on my own, I already told you!"

"How can you be perfectly fine on your own when you can't even stand, moron?" She barked, finally laying the fish on his chest where he could reach it. If he wouldn't eat it with her standing over him maybe he'd eat it if she left him alone for a while. With that thought in mind the hybrid stood and returned to her earlier post by the mouth of the cave, leaning one shoulder against the rocky frame.

'_Ungrateful bastard…' _she thought, folding her arms over her chest and letting her eyes flutter closed for a brief moment. _'He doesn't have to say anything; just eating the damn fish would be enough.'_ She paused and her ears twitched at the sound of Inuyasha shifting behind her followed closely by the sound of him chewing and swallowing his first bite. She rolled her eyes, _'Idiot.' _

A second later she froze, her eyes drifting out towards the surrounding forest. She took a quick sniff to make sure her nose wasn't playing tricks on her. It wasn't. _'It _is_ him, he's alive,'_ she thought and without so much as a backwards glance she took off into the forest, carefully following the scent of one of her thought-to-be-lost companions.

She didn't have to go far. She could tell by his scent that the youngest member of her traveling party was making a b-line for the cave without any help. What worried her was the scent of an unfamiliar demon hot on his heels. A snarl rose in her throat at the thought of something chasing after the young hybrid. Even as a full demon, as he was now thanks to the sun having gone down.

"Kagome!" The youngster cried, and she slid to a stop as she caught sight of him. A relieved grin threatening to nearly tear his face in two while tears of joy nearly poured down his red cheeks and he leapt into her open arms a moment later, burying his face in her neck as he clung to her. "I thought you were dead! I thought I might never see you again!"

Kagome didn't answer him. Instead her eyes remained glued on the bushes from where Shippou had come seconds before. Just as she had presumed it would, the demon stepped from the foliage a second later and Kagome's hold tightened around the little boy in her arms as her growl rose in volume. It was a cat demon of some sort with two tails, red eyes and saber fangs that poked out from either side of it's mouth. In response to her threat, the cat demon raised it's hackles and growled back at her.

"Wait, Kirara!" Shippou called, looking over his shoulder at the oversized feline. "This is Kagome," he explained, "She's a friend, I promise. You don't have to protect me."

"Shippou, you…" Kagome paused as her eyes drifted to the boy in her arms to Kirara and back again, "you know this demon?"

"Uh huh," Shippou chirped, turning to look back at her. "She's friends with Sango! Sango saved me from a giant cockroach, and then she helped patch up Miroku's injuries…"

"Miroku?" Kagome asked, barely catching anything else the boy had said. "He's alive? Have you found Kohaku?"

The boy ducked his head, suddenly finding the neck of her kosode very interesting. "Miroku's was hurt pretty badly but Sango patched him up. He was awake when I left, and feeling well enough to flirt with Sango a little. I don't know where Kohaku is…and Hoshi and Inuyasha are still…"

"Inuyasha is fine." Kagome interrupted, instantly regaining Shippou's attention. Fine might not have been the most appropriate word for his current condition, but he was alive. That was all that Shippou needed to hear at the moment. "I've been taking care of him," she glanced over one shoulder towards the cave. She'd left so quickly she hadn't even thought to use Tetsusaiga's barrier at the door, not that she wasn't close enough to pick up any potential threats and dispose of them long before they got anywhere near her injured companion. Either way she needed to get back. She could question Shippou further on the whereabouts and conditions of Miroku and whoever these other characters were with Inuyasha nearby, he would after all want to know the answers to these questions as well.

She set the young hybrid down on his feet before taking his tiny hand in one of hers. "Come on," She said, giving him a gentle tug, "I'll take you to see him."

She gave the cat demon a skeptic look as she led Shippou back towards the cave. Kirara followed, her head ducked down and a soft rumble rising from her throat as if she was trying to convince Kagome she was trustworthy. _'If Miroku knows about her she's probably safe…'_ the wolf hybrid thought. _'He seems to know what he's doing most of the time. And she doesn't smell at all like blood or death.'_ Her eyes drifted back to the path ahead, _'doesn't matter really. If she tries anything I'll kill her.' _

The second they reached the cave's entrance Shippou tore away from Kagome's grip and bounded inside. He would have leapt right onto Inuyasha's chest had Kagome not been fast enough to catch him by his fox fur vest and yank him back. "Hey," The older half demon told him grouchily as she sat him on the ground a foot or so away from Inuyasha. "You don't need to break anything else with your recklessness. Sit there and stay there."

The pup gave her a waning glare over one shoulder before turning back towards Inuyasha, his face scrunched up with worry. "Are you hurting, Inuyasha?"

"It's nothing important." Inuyasha replied quickly. He had been concerned when he saw Kagome take off into the forest without so much as a word, but his assumption had been that she was going to take out a stray demon. He hadn't expected her to come back with one of their companions, not to say of course that he wasn't happy to see the young hybrid, only shocked. And suddenly a long list of unanswered questions was on the tip of his tongue.

"Shippou, you're ok aren't you?" at the boy's nod he continued, "What about the others? Is Miroku with you? What about Kohaku?"

"Miroku's doing ok." The boy explained, "Sango and Kirara…they're the ones that helped me…they carried him back to their home and took care of his injuries and he's awake now." He squirmed a bit before continuing, "But the others are still missing…"

"Hoshi is fine." Kagome said, "She's with the rest of my pack taking care of some things. She shouldn't be too much longer." Her eyes drifted away then, "so Kohaku is the only one missing…"

Silence filled the tiny cave for a handful of moments then, all three companions lost deep within their own thoughts, most of which were centered around Kohaku. All of their lost friends had now been accounted for, except one. Their minds couldn't help but wonder what happened to him, and not all the scenarios they came up with were pleasant to think about.

"We'll find him." Inuyasha said suddenly, "no matter what, we won't continue until we find him."

"Do you think we can?" Shippou asked, his green eyes wide with hope.

"Of course!" Inuyasha snapped, "Don't say such stupid things! And don't sound so surprised!"

"S…sorry…" the boy mumbled, his gaze falling to the ground.

"Say Shippou…" Kagome started, eager to change the subject. She crouched down beside him, her head cocking slightly to one side as she looked down at him. "Where is Miroku at? You never said anything about it…is it nearby…?"

"Ah, he's with Sango at her house." He went on, "it's a little place in the middle of the woods, it's all alone and in kind of bad shape…it's nice though, better then a cave I guess…"

Kagome frowned. She vaguely remembered smelling smoke from a fire and picking up the scent of a small house much earlier when she was carrying Inuyasha's body towards the cave after finding him. It didn't smell at all like any of her companions then so she had continued on, however she had doubled back after dropping Inuyasha off to search for and successfully steal a handful of bandages to take care of his wounds.

'_Guess I should have paid more attention then. I know I can find it again though,'_ she thought. Her eyes drifted to Inuyasha however, who had since closed his eyes and was on his way back to unconsciousness. _'He must be tired…' _she thought, _'he's been awake quite a while bearing the pain of all of those injuries. There's no way I can drag him through the forest in the condition he's in right now, not even if that's what he wants.' _

"Shippou…" she started, standing up and lifting the hybrid child with her by his vest. "Come with me."

The pair made it outside the cave before Kagome set the boy back on his own feet. She spared a glance at Kirara, who up until then had been waiting patiently just outside the cave. Her eyes narrowed on the saber toothed cat, "you trust her, Shippou?"

"Uh huh," he said. "She helped me and Miroku."

Kagome nodded. _'And if that giant furball puts one paw out of line she knows I'll hunt her down and kill her,'_ she thought. "It's not too far from here is it?" she asked next, "you can leave some sort of trail…we'll meet back with you tomorrow if Inuyasha is comfortable enough to move…"

Shippou grinned, digging into his vest to pull out a little red mushroom. "I can leave a trail of my crying mushrooms for you to follow!"

"Do that." Kagome agreed, although she was positive she would normally be able to track him by scent alone, the rain made things difficult, and it was still raining, although barely. "I'll check in with you tomorrow at the very least."

Shippou leapt onto Kirara's neck and then turned to give her one last determined look before they parted ways. "You can count on me, Kagome!" he told her proudly, beating his chest a few times with one fist. "I'll make sure everyone stays safe on my end."

Kagome bit back a laugh at his words, quickly shooing him away with one hand before he could see the upwards curl of her lips. She watched as the two demons disappeared into the darkness, her ears trained on their footsteps until she couldn't hear them any longer. Then she lifted her head and called to her pack. _'Follow them,'_ she thought, _'make sure nothing happens.'_

A few seconds passed before her howl was returned by Kazuo. Then, satisfied, she turned and wandered back into the cave.

…

Kagome sighed as she leapt from her tree perch and landed softly beside her companion who, to anyone else would look like he was sleeping. She knew better. "Are you ready to continue?" she asked, not bothering to hide the frustration in her tone. Against Kagome's better judgment she had decided to move Inuyasha the day after meeting with Shippou due to the swordsman's constant nagging. _'I'll be fine, he said,'_ she thought with a roll of her eyes, _'you're worrying too much, it's annoying, he said.' _

Her worry hadn't been for nothing. They had already stopped to rest eleven times while making the trek to where Shippou and Miroku waited for them, all because Inuyasha could no longer stand the pain of her carrying him.

"We're almost there you know," Kagome pointed out when Inuyasha didn't answer, "I can smell the smoke from her fire and the scents of the others…"

"Shut up." Inuyasha growled, his eyes slowly opening. He looked at her, and then turned slightly to look at the path ahead, dotted with the little red heads of Shippou crying mushrooms. He groaned inwardly. Kagome had been right all along, not that he'd ever tell her that, but the pain involved with her carrying him had been much greater then he expected. _'Doesn't matter now though,'_ He thought, _'if we're almost there then we might as well continue…' _

A handful of minutes later Inuyasha was laid over Kagome's back once more as she carried his dead weight up the hill, listening to his hushed complaints, most of them of course centered on her. _'He _does_ know I can hear him, doesn't he?'_ the hybrid asked herself, shaking her head in disbelief as she crested the hill.

It wasn't long before they reached the little hut in the middle of the woods. It seemed as lonely and worn as was expected for a house in such a place. The whole thing looked like it needed repairing, or better yet, to be torn down and rebuilt, and it was quiet, at least until Shippou came running out to greet them.

"You made it!" He cried joyfully as he leapt up and attached himself to one of Kagome's legs, "you have to come inside, Miroku will be happy to see you!"

"Of course we made it…" Kagome grumbled, attempting to remove him from her knee and failing miserably. "Hey, hey, let go already!" She snapped at him, "Get off me!"

"You are Kagome, the wolf hybrid?"

Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippou turned to see Sango stepping off the porch. She was wearing battle garb that looked similar to the clothes Miroku and Kohaku wore, but not quite the same. Her body was clothed in a black, skin tight suit that covered everything but her face and was embroidered on the left shoulder with a golden design. Her belly, shoulders, elbows, knees and lower thighs were protected with tough armor shells that had been stained pink, and a long red obi wrapped around her waist, securing a katana at her left hip. She didn't look particularly happy, and not at all welcoming.

"Answer me!" she demanded when the trio remained silent.

Instead of answering Kagome asked a question of her own, "How do you know me?"

Sango's face grew dark in response. "Naraku was the one who told me," she explained, "and if you are truly the half demon he spoke of…" she lifted the boomerang bone from her shoulder easily and taking it in both hands she began to spin it over her head. "Then this is the last day you will live!"

…

_AN: Cliffhanger…sorry. I know. I hate them too…__Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Sango's big debut! She seems to be awfully popular with everyone (including me) which is no surprise, she's pretty awesome. So I'm wondering—was her entrance as awesome as you'd hoped? And Miroku's weapon too, hope you guys liked that. He's not Miroku without the wind tunnel, right? _

_Itty bitty side note…if you've forgotten what Kazuo looks like, he also showed up briefly in chapter 10 (family) during one of Kagome's flashbacks/dreams. You can check him out there. _

_**Another itty bitty side note**__…I realize not everyone knows about wolves the same way I do. I'm not claiming to be an expert or anything, but I've done a lot of reading on them because they're one of my favorite animals. Because of that I've tried to put my knowledge of wolves together with my story so that when I write about her pack it seems a little more realistic (at least to me). She is a wolf after all remember. :) _

_The alpha pair (male and female) lead the pack. Directly below them on the dominance scale is the beta male and female. Then, at the very bottom are the omega's, pretty much known as the escape goats. In between the beta and omega roles can be any number of subordinate males and females. That number just depends on how many wolves are in the pack. _

_Annnnd that's it…hopefully you learned something new about wolfies by reading that. :3 Or maybe not… _

_**Chapter 17 (Sango's Curse): **_

"_You knew?" Inuyasha asked, pointing an accusing finger in Miroku's direction. He then turned to face Kagome, the same digit pointing at her. "You told him?"_

"_Of course I didn't," the hybrid replied flatly. _

"_Then you…" Inuyasha started uneasily, returning to face the demon hunter with a flabbergasted expression, "You knew all this time and you didn't say anything?" _

_Miroku stared back at him with wide eyes, "you mean you didn't?" He asked. "I thought Kagome-san was rather obvious back then when she lied about Sesshoumaru's reasons for sending her to the northern kingdom. I already had my suspicions before that however it was then that I was certain." _

_That's all you get for now! :3 Toodles! – K_


	17. Chapter 17

_Surprise, surprise! I managed to get this one out pretty quick, didn't I? I Hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it and I'd love to hear what you think in a review.*hint, hint* They really, truly do help you know… Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! :D _

**Chapter 17: Sango's Curse **

Kagome landed softly beside the run down hut, dropping into a crouch and easing Inuyasha off of her back with the small amount of assistance Miroku could provide with only one usable arm. "Kagome-san…" he started, looking over her shoulder towards Sango, "I don't understand why she attacked you, but please be careful. I have a feeling she is not an opponent to be taken lightly."

"Right," Kagome said appreciatively, glancing back towards the two injured men to make sure they were both settled on the porch. She then reached down and plucked Shippou from her leg, depositing him on Miroku's lap and giving him a meaningful look, "you watch over them for me."

"You can count on me, Kagome!" the youngster said bravely, his little hands curling into fists at his side. "I'll keep them safe!"

'_Hopefully you won't need too,' _Kagome thought, as her attention returned to her attacker. Even with Inuyasha's dead weight on her back and Shippou clinging tightly to one leg she had managed to easily dodge Sango's giant boomerang. A fact Sango didn't look too thrilled about. _'Why is she attacking me?'_ Kagome asked herself as she stood up, remaining protectively in front of her companions. _'I'm sure I've never seen her before and her scent isn't familiar at all…but she mentioned Naraku, and I wouldn't put anything past that slimy bastard. Could he be tricking her into trying to kill me somehow? But if that's the case then I have to find out her incentive for coming after me… ' _

"Get ready half demon," Sango growled, "You won't be so lucky to escape my Hiraikotsu a second time."

'_If I ever hope to get rid of this curse,'_ she thought, _'this may be the only way. Then, once it's gone I can focus my energy on destroying Naraku.'_ With that pleasing thought in mind, she shifted into position again, one hand holding her boomerang erect behind her while her body turned slightly to face her reluctant looking opponent. "Don't you dare try and run from me," she warned, noticing the way Kagome was already seeking out the best direction for escape, "or are you afraid of being killed by a human?"

'_Hardly,' _Kagome thought, eyes narrowing on her attacker as she formulated a plan. _'But I promised myself a long time ago that I would never fight with humans, at least not if I could help it. It was right after father was killed…and I don't plan to break that promise anytime soon…' _

"Why are you after me?" Kagome asked, hoping to distract the woman long enough that she could move away from the hut. After all, Sango had attacked her while Shippou and Inuyasha were still with her, so who was to say she wouldn't do it again with them a handful of feet behind her on the porch? And she wasn't particularly fond of taking a boomerang to the gut even if it was to save her friends. "I don't know you," she continued, "so I would presume that this is all Naraku's doing…are you working for him?"

"I won't tell you anything," Sango bit out. She released her weapon again, sending it spiraling dangerously in the half demon's direction and her teeth clenched as Kagome clawed at the projectile, sending it flying back in the direction from which it had come. "Fight back?" Sango demanded, catching Hiraikotsu in one hand and preparing to throw it again. "Dodging will get you nowhere!"

"I'm not interested in fighting you," Kagome replied honestly. "What I'm interested in is answers," she continued with a scowl, "I know I haven't done anything…so it must be because of something that bastard Naraku wants, in which case you _are_ working for him. Do you know that he has done things many times worse than I ever have? He's killed thousands for his own selfish reasons, probably more by now. Why would you want to help someone like him?"

"I'm not!" Sango protested, "He's as much an enemy of mine as he is yours!"

"Then why?" Kagome replied, "Have I done something to you that I don't remember? Or maybe Naraku's just been feeding you a bunch of lies…"

Sango's hands tightened on Hiraikotsu reflexively. _'She doesn't understand.'_ She reassured herself calmly, _'it's not a lie, it's the only way I can finally have freedom.'_ Then, without wasting another minute she charged towards the half demon, lashing out at her with Hiraikotsu again and again. Kagome missed most of Sango's well-aimed swings and thrusts, only occasionally blocking the boomerang with her forearm and seeming completely unbothered when the heavy bone slammed into her.

"We're getting nowhere with this," she pointed out, leaping backwards and landing in a crouch a good distance away from Sango, who didn't miss a beat, throwing the Hiraikotsu out at her opponent again. This time instead of dodging Kagome caught the bone, leaping into the air with it slung over one shoulder. _'It's pretty heavy,'_ Kagome thought, glancing sideways at the weapon, _'She must be quite something to be able to wield this the way she does…for a human I mean…' _She then threw it purposefully towards the ground and away from Sango, watching with satisfaction as it collided with the earth and tumbled for a handful of meters before lying flat.

"Why you…" Sango growled. She didn't bother to go after Hiraikotsu, after all if Kagome wanted to she could make it there much faster. Instead she drew her katana and changed at the half demon again once she'd landed.

"You don't get it, do you?" Kagome asked, glaring at the approaching threat. She caught the sword in one hand, ignoring the pain as it cut into the palm of her hand. Her eyes turned from blue to nearly white and the blade reflected the color, leaving Sango to only watch as Kagome bent the metal around until the point faced her, leaving the weapon completely useless. "I told you I didn't want to fight you, didn't I?" Kagome grumbled, taking a few steps to distance herself from her opponent. "You're wasting your time. If Naraku is really your enemy, no matter what the case, no matter what he's told you, you'd be better off fighting him—"

Whatever she was about to say died in her throat as Sango suddenly thrust out one arm, a hidden sickle tearing through the cloth on her forearm and into Kagome's belly. The hybrid grunted, taking a few steps backwards, although more from surprise then from the pain, and clutching at the new wound with one hand. She scowled at her attacker. "You stupid woman," she growled, and reached out with both hands, taking each of Sango's wrists in one before grabbing the sickle in her other and crushing it until it snapped cleanly in half. "There." She grumbled, tossing away the broken end of the blade and releasing her captive before putting a handful of feet in between herself and Sango. "Are you out of surprises now?"

Sango fell to one knee, staring down at her broken sickle with wide eyes. _'How can it be…she's disarming me so easily no matter what I do…'_ she glanced up at the hybrid, her eyes falling on Kirara who had at some point made her way onto the battle field and was standing a short distance behind Kagome. The giant cat regarded her master with a questioning gaze as she crouched, ready to follow the woman's undelivered orders. "Not until I've killed you!" Sango cried with a new sense of determination, "Kirara, now!"

Kagome looked over her shoulder, unsurprised to see the saber toothed cat charging towards her. "So you're after me too, huh?" she asked, leaping out of the way and letting Kirara run past her, then jumping backwards to avoide the demon as she spun and lunged for her a second time. When Kirara pounced yet again she didn't move out of the way, instead slamming her fist into the feline's forehead, effectively stopping her in her tracks, before grabbing the cat by the thick fur on either side of her neck and flipping her over, slamming her onto the ground on her back. Kirara rolled onto her belly, rising into a crouch and snarling at Kagome, but then she winced and let out a whine of protest, dropping back onto her stomach in defeat.

"Kirara!" Sango called, climbing to her feet and running to the cat demon's side as she returned to her smaller form. Kirara mewed and looked up at her master through half lid eyes, her expression sad. "It's fine Kirara," Sango soothed, rubbing her ears gently, "you did what you could…"

"Serves her right," Kagome grumbled, glaring down at Sango, who in turn glared back. "You're a worthy opponent, Sango," she admitted, "But you still won't get me to fight your seriously. You're better off giving up now."

"I told you…" Sango ground out, standing from her friend's side and glowering at the hybrid in front of her. "I won't give up. This is a fight to the death," her eyes narrowed, "And you've left me no choice." With one hand she removed the cloth from the other and then, hesitating only briefly she leapt towards Kagome, latching onto her right wrist before she could manage to move away.

"What in the hell are you…?" Kagome started, but her words died and instead she focused on the unwelcome burning sensation that took over her right hand, quickly travelling through the rest of her body. _'Shit!'_ she thought. _'What in the hell is she doing to me? I feel like…I'm growing weaker…' _

"Hey!" Kagome barked, clearly startling Sango if the look on the woman's face was anything to go by when she tore her hand away from the woman's grasp and shoved her, although gently, to the ground. She didn't get back up, only staring at the half demon in disbelief. Kagome meanwhile brushed herself off, letting a handful of colorful words slip from her lips. "Damn," she moaned, holding her head in one hand, "My head hurts. What in the hell was that?"

"You…How did you…?" Sango sputtered, her mouth gaping and her eyes wide with shock. "How are you even able to stand after something like that?" she managed, "I've never seen someone move so quickly after being touched by my curse, it's almost as if you weren't even bothered…"

"I wasn't." Kagome replied evenly, turning to glance at her other companions as they made their way over, Miroku supporting Inuyasha on his good side while Shippou trotted slightly ahead of them carrying their weapons. She winched slightly as her headache spiked, covering her eyes. "I mean, aside from my head…it hurts…but only a little…"

"A little…" Sango repeated, "I've drained full blooded demons all the way until death in a matter of minutes and yet you, you're just a half demon however…"

"Kagome-san is half a god." Miroku corrected gently, "no doubt her ability to resist your powers are…" his words drifted off as he realized he had very quickly become the center of attention. "Did I say something wrong?"

"You knew?" Inuyasha asked, pointing an accusing finger in Miroku's direction. He then turned to face Kagome, the same digit pointing at her. "You told him?"

"Of course I didn't," the hybrid replied flatly.

"Then you…" Inuyasha started uneasily, returning to face the demon hunter beside him with a flabbergasted expression, "You knew all this time and you didn't say anything?"

Miroku stared back at him with wide eyes, "you mean you didn't?" He asked. "I thought Kagome-san was rather obvious back then when she lied about Sesshoumaru's reasons for sending her to the northern kingdom. I already had my suspicions before that; however it was then that I was certain."

"Come on, Inuyasha…" Shippou said from his perch on Kagome's shoulders, "even I thought it was strange, you had to have known something was up."

Inuyasha remained silent, but a soft blush danced across his cheeks. "He didn't." Shippou whispered in disbelief and after earning a furious glare from the swordsman from his comment, let out a squeak of terror and dove beneath Kagome's black mane for cover.

"It doesn't matter either way does it?" Kagome grumbled, not at all pleased with where their current topic of conversation had settled. She was eager to move the focus elsewhere. "What we should really be concerned with is…her…" she said, gesturing to the human woman at her feet. She narrowed her eyes. "I want answers."

Sango's gaze dropped to the ground and she hesitated a moment before replying, "fine…I'll tell you everything you want to know…" she said, gathering Kirara in her arms and climbing to her feet, head still bowed. "Let's head inside."

They made it back to the hut, Sango, Miroku and Shippou sitting around the fire pit while Inuyasha rested, as comfortably as he could manage, on the futon. Kagome remained by the door, leaning back against the frame before dropping to the ground and sitting cross legged.

"Your curse…" Kagome began once it was apparent no one else was going to speak first, "that's what you called it, isn't it?" she went on after receiving a nod, "what is it? And why do I have the feeling it has something to do with Naraku?"

"You're right in that it is related to Naraku," Sango began, "he is after all the one who is responsible for the curse…the curse passed down to me by my father…"

"Then this curse is something that has been passed down through your family line?" Miroku asked.

Sango's eyes drifted to the empty fire pit in front of her, narrowing as the unwelcome memories of her past swarmed her. "That's true," she said, "but the father I speak of isn't my true father. He didn't want his daughter, the one he brought into this world, to inherit the curse from him and so he kidnapped me from my home when I was only four years old and fooled Naraku for a short time into believing I was his child.

He told his wife to take their child and go live in peace at a nearby village. Then he took me deep into the forest to live with him in this very hut and he trained me with one goal in mind." Her gaze snapped away from the pit then, her eyes full of determination and hatred, "to kill Naraku, no matter what it took."

"That all makes sense," Kagome cut in, scowling at Sango with her chin resting on one fist, "but it doesn't explain why you were trying to kill me when I arrived."

"Naraku made a promise to me," the woman explained, looking somewhat ashamed at the reminder of her earlier behavior towards the hybrid. "He said that if I was able to kill you he would remove the curse and let me live out a normal life without worry of dyeing at an early age."

Kagome scoffed, "what? And you believed him?"

Miroku coughed loudly, interrupting anything that Sango might have said in response to the half demon's rudeness. "What's done is done," he said, waving a dismissive hand at Kagome even while she growled at him. He then turned back to Sango with a smile. "I for one would like to know more about your curse," he said, "Am I to assume that it will shorten your lifespan?"

Sango nodded, "it does." She sent a sidelong glance at Kagome then, "I'm sure you noticed when I touched you, whether you were bothered by it or not, that you felt suddenly weaker. With a single touch I have the power to steal one's life force. Most demons can't last more than a handful of minutes, for humans it's even less than that." She turned her hands over in her lap, staring down at her palms sadly, "it wasn't so bad at first, but now I can't go for more than a few days without having to steal from others…not unless I want the curse to start draining my own strength. Eventually I won't be able to take in enough energy to satisfy the curse as it's need for strength grows each day. Then it will kill me in the same way it did my father a few months back."

The group went silent for a handful of minutes as they took this in. it was terrifying to imagine someone who held the power to kill a human, a demon or anything that had life for that matter with only the touch of their hand. It was only more frightful to imagine that very power being what would eventually kill the woman who sat before them.

'_Someday…'_ Kagome thought, regarding the Sango with half lid eyes, _'her curse will kill her. Someday she won't be able to gather enough of the life force from others to feed the void created by that curse of hers and it will turn on her, sucking her dry until she's dead, just the same way she tried to do to me earlier.' _Her eyes closed and she ducked her head, feeling Sango's sorrow from across the room, _'No wonder she wanted to take him up on his offer, even if I'm sure it was a trick from the start. She'll only be free if Naraku is killed.' _

"Why don't you come along with us, Sango?"

Everyone in the room jumped, turning their attention quickly to the little red headed fox hybrid that had spoken. He had crawled up beside Sango sometime during the conversation, resting one hand on her lap as he peeked up at her face. "The more the merrier is what they always say," he went on, "and it would be nice for you to have company since your father died, wouldn't it?"

"Shippou-chan…" Sango began uneasily. The she lifted her gaze towards Miroku, Inuyasha and finally Kagome, unsure. "I…I'm not sure if…"

"I think it's a wonderful idea." Miroku said, offering her a genuine smile. "Why not join forces? It would be good to have you on the team. You certainly are a force to be reckoned with as Kagome can attest I'm sure, and the more we have to face Naraku, the easier it will be to take him down." He glanced over one shoulder towards Inuyasha, "do you mind, Inuyasha?"

"Keh, I could care less what that woman does," was his only response. Then he rolled over on the futon with a considerable amount of effort, forcing the hut's occupants to look at his back.

"You want me to?" Sango asked, her mouth gaping slightly and her eyes wide, "Even after what I've done? I attacked one of your comrades…" she glanced apologetically at Kagome then, "I could have killed you."

"You barely scratched me," Kagome corrected, gesturing to the wound on her belly, which had stopped bleeding a while ago, "I'm not as easy to kill as you seem to think." She rested her head back against the frame, folding her arms comfortably across her chest, "it doesn't matter to me what you do anyway. Once the rest of my pack arrives I'll be returning to the northern kingdom. They need a leader, especially with everything that's going on with Naraku right now…and the treasure needs to be protected…"

"Is there not a leader there now, Kagome-san?" Miroku asked, "I would think with you having been gone recently that you would have needed to leave someone in command. You can't possibly be the only one qualified to take the role."

Kagome sighed, letting her eyes close, but still picking up the sounds of Inuyasha shifting on the futon. Clearly the change in the topic of conversation had gained his attention. "I'm not." she said, "but I was the one chosen to take the role by Kaasan."

No one spoke a word, as if sensing that the hybrid wasn't finished speaking. She wasn't, and her face grew dark as she prepared herself for their possible reactions. It wasn't exactly easy to explain her situation, much less admit to what she'd done. After all, running away from one's responsibilities wasn't something to be proud of.

"Ruling a kingdom was never something I wanted though. The idea never really appealed to me, not even when I was just a pup. I'm much happier having my freedom." She began finally, "That's why I left…ran away more like…" she swallowed the lump in her throat before going on, "It was foolish and selfish of me, and even more so is the fact that it's been three years and I have yet to return, but what's done is done. And now Koga has snuck in and taken my place…he's a wolf demon with royal blood, but he doesn't have the right to lead a kingdom, at least not according to Sesshoumaru."

Her face scrunched up as she thought of the demon she would no doubt be seeing very soon, "he doesn't have the brains or strength for it either if you ask me."

When Kagome finished she was surprised that none of her companions seemed at all bothered by all the wrongs she had just admitted to. They didn't look disgusted or angry as she imagined they would have after she told them such a thing, and she found herself able to relax slightly in the comfort of their acceptance.

"I would assume that you will be in for quite a battle when you do return to the north," Miroku said, the first to speak after her explanation. "Will you choose to banish Koga from the north completely?"

Kagome blinked slowly, turning to face the hunter with a serious expression full of hatred. Without even realizing it her lips pulled back and a soft snarl rose from her throat. "More than that," She bit out, "I plan to kill him."

The second the words left her lips she ducked her head, as if afraid of what they might have seen. It was difficult to share any of her past with them, and even more challenging to admit what she'd done in the stupid and selfish acts of child. Talking about Koga was an entirely different thing. Even mentioning his name brought the clear as day reminders of how he'd hurt her over a century ago.

'_It was so long ago,'_ she thought, her fists clenched, _'but I still remember it like it was yesterday. When I see him again that bastard is going to have a nasty price to pay.' _

Kagome spared a glance up through her bangs at the others. She could feel their eyes on her, hungry for further depth into her story. She couldn't blame them; after all it was very rare that she mentioned anything of her past to anyone without it being nearly forced out of her. And if the painful memories that were clouding her mind were showing up at all on her face she was sure they had already come up with their suspicions.

Sango seemed to be the only one brave enough to question the hybrid further, "You and Koga," she pressed, although gently, "it sounds like the two of you had somewhat of a past together."

That was it. It was as if her comment had been proverbial straw which broke the camel's back and Kagome found herself feeling suddenly very claustrophobic in the tiny hut, surrounded by her comrades. She stood up abruptly, ignoring her companions questioning stares to the best of her ability. _'I shouldn't have said anything,'_ she thought, furiously, _'damn it. I should have kept my stupid mouth shut from the beginning.' _

"I've got to go," she managed between clenched teeth.

The group watched in stunned silence as the half demon slipped from the hut and vanished into the forest surrounding them. It was clear that the topic of Koga, whoever he may be, was an uncomfortable one for her and through a small exchange of looks between the adults it was silently decided that they would avoid such conversations in the future.

"What's wrong with her?" Shippou asked, in the innocent way only a child could. "Did she smell something?"

"Shippou," Miroku replied, resting a gentle hand on one of his tiny shoulders, "let's let that topic rest shall we? Kagome-san just needs some time by herself right now…"

Shippou quirked an eyebrow as he looked up at the hunter, but after a moment of consideration only shrugged his shoulders before returning his gaze to the door. "It makes you wonder though, doesn't it?" he thought allowed, "how much do we really know about Kagome?"

The eyes of each adult, though specifically those of Inuyasha and Miroku, fell on the young boy in shock. It was surprising to hear such wise words come from such a young boy, but in addition to that, both men quickly realized just how true his words were.

'_How much do we know about her?' _Inuyasha thought, eyes wide as he regarded the youngster. _'The truth is we know next to nothing about her. Hell, I know Kagome the best out of the four of us and I still barely know anything about her. Just now was the most I've ever heard her talk about herself or her past.' _

Then Shippou continued, his head resting on one fist in thought, "then again, I guess we all have things we don't want to talk about…"

"You're pretty smart, aren't you Shippou-chan?" Sango asked with a smile, "Either way, I'm sure Kagome will return soon." Her eyes fell on Miroku and Inuyasha, who had since sat up on the bed, "You two should probably retire early, don't you thing? I'm sure with all that's happened today you are both tired, especially considering how badly injured you both are. I may not have a second bed, but perhaps you can rest with Kirara and she will keep you comfortable."

"I appreciate it," Miroku replied with a nod in Inuyasha's direction, "the two of us can switch back and forth between using Kirara and he futon until we're able to find other accommodations. That is of course, if you don't mind us staying with you for a while Sango."

Sango smiled, perhaps the first real smile she'd shown them since they'd met her. "I'm more than happy to let you both stay as long as you like," she said, "Kagome too. It's nice to have some company."

…

Kagome made her way down the now familiar path towards Sango's hut. She had been gone most of the night, only coming back once very briefly to take care of a few demons that had wandered too close, but that had been long after most of the house's occupants had gone to sleep. Kirara was the only one who knew that she had come, and the two tailed cat demon had even assisted her in chasing away the nuisances before returning to lie with Miroku. Kagome hadn't been bothered by Kirara's help, she actually appreciated it.

'_It's good that at least Kirara sees things clearly,'_ she thought as she crested the hill and approached the rundown hut that sat at the top. _'Now I only have to get Sango to understand. She seemed friendly enough when we were talking but I still don't trust her not to take Naraku's offer…not that I can blame her I suppose, but anyone can see this whole thing is a trap._ _The only way for her to gain true freedom from her curse is through his death…or hers…' _

"Hey."

Kagome jumped as Inuyasha's rough voice awakened her from her thoughts, her eyes falling on his still form. He was sitting on the porch, leaning heavily against the wall with his injured leg stretched out in front of him and the other bent at the knee. _'I didn't even realize I'd made it here,'_ she thought, before something else came to mind, _'wait…I left him inside with the others last night, didn't I?' _

"How on earth did you get out here?" she asked.

He didn't answer her. "You were gone all night," he commented instead. "Where did you go?"

"I wasn't far," she replied with a shrug, not bothering to explain to him that she hadn't in fact been gone the whole night and had remained close enough to keep tabs on them the entire time. She scented the air a second later, and a deep frown crossed her face. Her gaze drifted towards his chest and to the fresh blood that painted his once white bandages with small patches of crimson red.

"You idiot," she growled, walking past him and stepping onto the porch, "your stupid recklessness tore open your wounds. You should have stayed inside."

She stepped through the door, barely noticing Miroku, who slept comfortably on the futon with Kirara curled at his feet. Sango and Shippou were missing, but one sniff told her that they weren't far. She knelt down beside the dresser, pulling open the second of the two drawers and grabbing a handful of bandages. She then retrieved a wooden bucket filled with warm water and a pair of small towels from beside the bed before returning to the porch.

"Stay still," she ordered as she sat cross legged beside him, reaching into her kosode to retrieve the small medicine container always kept there, holding it out to him. "Hold this."

"I don't need to be bandaged…" he protested gruffly, ignoring her offering and instead trying to shoo her away with a wave of his arm, but she wouldn't be moved. She grabbed his wrist with speed he could have only imagined, twisting his limb in her grip until she was faced with the palm of his hand and depositing the medicine there before closing his fingers around the container and releasing him. She followed up with a firm look that promised more pain then he was already in should he not cooperate.

Inuyasha scowled and turned his head away, muttering a few choice words under his breath. He either forgot or chose to ignore the fact that she could easily hear him. Kagome guessed it was the ladder of the two, but refused to let his insulting words bother her, at least for now, and instead focused on tending to his wounds.

"Sit up for a minute," she instructed, one hand resting on his back to push him gently into a more upright position while the other eased his haori and kosode from his shoulders. He did as she asked, even going as far as to help her slide the clothes from his arms, although the look on his face told her he was still less then happy about it.

Kagome sighed as she went to work, careful to not cut his skin as she sliced the soiled bandages away with one claw. "It'll just take a few minutes…" she promised, but he didn't grace her with a response, and she ducked her head to hide the grief in her eyes. _'It's really bad…'_ she thought as she stripped the bandages away from his chest and sides, resisting the strong urge to cover her nose as the scent of his blood got stronger. _'He's angrier then I thought he'd be. He doesn't want to have anything to do with me.' _

Several moments of silence passed between the pair while Kagome cleaned the fresh blood from his sides, taking care to not press to hard and wincing along with him each time she caused him pain. By the time she was done and had dropped the once white towel back into the bucket the water had turned dark with his blood. She reached for the second towel, still dry, and began patting his skin dry as gently as she could.

"I'm sorry…" she said finally, her head still bowed, "I never meant to…I should have told you the truth right from the very start, all of this could have been avoided…"

She didn't have to go any further for him to know what she was talking about. Still, her only response was his silence. Inuyasha glanced down at the top of her head, watching as she took special care to not cause him more pain then necessary. He couldn't help but think that she looked rather pretty, beautiful even, with that soft look upon her face. That was until she caught his gaze and scowled up at him.

"What are you staring at?" She barked defensively, "If you have something to say, say it."

'_Stupid bitch,'_ He thought furiously, his hands fisting at his sides as his gaze returned to the woods in the distance. "Keh, I wasn't staring!" he snapped back at her before adding, "Why in the hell are you still here anyway? I told you to go a long time ago, why haven't you left yet?"

Kagome stiffened at his side, her hands stilling on his chest for a brief moment. The sudden urge to drop everything she was doing and disappear, never to be seen again, crashed over her like a tidal wave but she fought it with a passion. _'Why?'_ She thought, forcing herself to continue the task at hand, _'Why do those words hurt me so much?' _

"I'll be leaving soon." She told him in a clipped tone, "I said it already; I'm waiting until the rest of my pack arrives. Then I'll go and you won't ever have to see me again."

He didn't reply and Kagome had to again push down the urge to run, instead reaching a hand out towards him expectantly and waiting until she felt the cold, smooth bottom of the medicine container as Inuyasha shoved it back into her hand. She popped open the lid, slathered his wounds graciously with the healing gel with one hand and closing the container with the other before handing it back to Inuyasha. She then bandaged him again, doing so as quickly and painlessly as possible. When she was finally finished she helped him ease back into his clothes and stood a moment later, dumping the bucket's contents off the porch before gathering it, the soiled bandages and the towels under one arm and turning back towards the door.

"Try not to move too much, otherwise you'll just get yourself all torn up again…" she warned. Again she didn't get an answer and so she wandered back into the hut without another word.

Inuyasha watched her go out of the corner of his eye. After she was gone his gaze drifted to his bandaged chest and sides peeking up at him through his loosely fitting haori and kosode. He knew he'd hurt her with his words. She had tried to hide behind her mask as she normally did but he knew her well enough by now to see past it most of the time, and the way she'd frozen beside him, even though it was only for a second, had given it away.

'_She really did take care of me, didn't she?'_ he thought guiltily, one hand brushing against the clean bandages. His face grew frustrated then as he remembered what she'd said to him in the cave, _'but she lied to me! She fucking lied straight to my face when she had so many chances to tell me the truth!'_ he thought, _'she deserves everything she's getting!' _

'_Then again, I guess we all have things we don't want to talk about…'_

Inuyasha's frown deepened as Shippou's wise words settled in his mind. _'The kid's right, isn't he?'_ He thought with a sigh, folding his arms loosely over his chest, careful not to press too hard on any of his wounds. _'Kagome didn't seem very enthused about the whole thing when she was talking about heading north last night. It's obvious that it's not something she wants to do…hell, she even admitted that herself. Is it really fair to be angry at her for not talking about such things when it's clear she'd rather forget about it herself?'_

Inuyasha caught the hybrid out of the corner of his eye as she stepped back onto the porch, her eyes glazed over as if she were deep in thought. She didn't even spare him a glance as she crouched, no doubt preparing to take off into the forest again.

"Hey," He called to her again, intent to stop her, "Kagome, wait—"

"Kagome, you're back!"

Inuyasha and Kagome both jumped, their attention turning to Shippou as he climbed up the porch steps, his little arms full of new wood for the fire. Neither of them had even seen him coming. "Where did you go last night?" He asked innocently, "Did you meet up with your pack mates?"

Kagome blinked down at him, still speechless from his sudden entrance. Then her eyes fell on Sango who had come up behind the youngster. She didn't say a word of greeting to either of them. Instead she continued on her way, jumping from the porch and taking a sharp left to disappear back into the forest, completely ignoring Shippou's cries of protest.

Once she hit the forest line and was sure they could no longer see her, she leapt forward, landing in a crouch a good distance away and then taking off. A long run would do her good. It always used to help in the past when she needed to burn off steam, and if she could find some demons to slaughter that would only make it better. With that thought in mind she picked up speed, racing faster and faster with no destination in mind.

She barely even noticed when Satoshi appeared beside her in the form of an oversized black wolf. He glanced sideways at her, his gold eyes pleading for her to slow down as he attempted to keep up with her, all the while dodging trees and leaping over forest debris.

'_Satoshi,' _she thought, slowing down, but only a little, _'What is he doing here? And what…?' _

She came to a full stop when she realized the demon wolf carried something in his mouth. Something that looked horribly familiar, she realized when he opened his mouth slightly to reveal the mask he held gently between his jaws. She took it from him, already feeling the dread settle in her stomach.

"This is…" Kagome began, fingering the dented metal of the mask, "This _was_ Kohaku's mask…"

The cloth that would have held the mask on was torn and stained with blood. The metal that would have covered the wearers face was crushed on the left side. _'Shit,'_ Kagome thought, closing her hand tightly over the mask but being careful not to damage it further, _'If this is all they could find that Kohaku is likely…'_

"_**It was all we could find…"**_Satoshi told her, confirming her fears._**"The blood scent was human however, so we thought it might have belonged to one of your companions."**_he dropped his head then, ears pressed back submissively as he took in the distressed look on his leader's face._**"I'm sorry, Kagome. The rain made it impossible to find anything else, it washed away any scent trails…your friend is most likely…" **_

Kagome shook her head, silencing him. She was determined not to make assumptions of what had happened, at least not until she had searched for Kohaku herself. "Take me, Satoshi…" she demanded, her eyes falling on the large wolf crouched below her, "show me where you found this…"

…

"It's not much…" Sango admitted as she ladled stew into a pair of wooden bowls. There was barely enough in each to feed a small child much less a full grown man recovering from serious injuries, but seeing as how she wasn't accustomed to having company, she rarely prepared enough food for more than one person. "I'm sorry I don't have more for you," she apologized, handing one bowl to Miroku, who sat in front of her and then passing the other to Inuyasha, who sat diagonally to her left, facing the door. She turned then to look down at Shippou who sat on her right, "You'll have to wait, ok Shippou? I don't have enough to feed three, but I'll get more ready once they're done eating..."

"I'm fine." Shippou replied, looking unconcerned by the lack of food. He reminded her, with a tug on his fuzzy red tail that the sun had recently set and he no longer had the body of a human boy. "My demon form can go much longer without eating then my human one can. I'm not even hungry yet."

"Right," Sango replied, a small smile touching her lips as she reached out one hand to gently brush his bangs out of his eyes. "You're tougher then I originally thought."

Two nights ago she had been shocked to see Shippou return looking much different then he had leaving to go and meet with Kagome. Once Miroku had explained the boy's half-blood parentage however, she had been unbothered, to the surprise of both of her guests, to have a half demon within her midst. Of course she had grown up with Kirara at her side, learning how to defend herself and others from demons and spirits, and so such creatures had become something she accepted. She respected their power, and unless they chose to bother her she could think of no reason not to share the earth with them as she would anyone else.

"We appreciate your hospitality, Sango." Miroku assured her, taking his first sip and sighing gratefully as the stew warmed his body, "if not for your help I may still be bleeding out in that forest."

Sango chucked, "I'm glad I could be of assistance." She told him with a nod towards the bowl in his hands, "is it good?"

"It's delicious."

"I'm glad." She said, and then her gaze fell uncertainly to the empty cooking pot in front of her. "I had a question…if you don't mind." Miroku wasn't the only one who caught her worried stare, and all three of her guests turned their attention to the woman curiously. "What exactly are you planning to do now?"

"Continue to the other three kingdoms obviously," Inuyasha scoffed, ignoring the unappreciative look he got from Miroku for his rude behavior. "We still have to get the agreement signed by the rest of the gods," he continued, "in order to insure the protection of the Shikon no Tama. I'm sure Miroku told you about it."

"He did," Sango replied affirmatively, hesitating only briefly before going on, "you are planning to keep going just as you were before?"

"I said that, didn't I?"

"What of Naraku?"

"What does that bastard have to do with anything?" Inuyasha snapped, "If he gets in our way again we'll make him wish he hadn't."

"But you both were both nearly killed," Sango went on, determined, "Are you not deterred at all by his power?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Are you?"

"No." The woman replied evenly, and then with a sigh she sat back, closing her eyes as a gentle smile touched her lips. "I was only making sure. In that case…I will accompany you on your journey."

Inuyasha and Miroku remained silent as they watched her. It was as if she had been testing their bravery, and as the two men exchanged bewildered looks they realized that's exactly what she had been doing.

Miroku coughed then, bringing the tiny group's attention to himself. "I am in agreement with Inuyasha, however…" he paused a moment as his gaze drifted to the wooden floor, "there are still things that need to be taken care of. We still haven't found Kohaku. On top of that, the two of us," he gestured between himself and Inuyasha, "have a ways to go before we will be able to travel again."

"Kohaku?" Sango asked, "I remember Shippou-chan mentioning that name. Was he also traveling with you?"

Miroku nodded solemnly. "He is my younger brother." He told her, "We were separated for quite a few years due to an accident resulting in the loss of his memory. It was only by chance that I met with Inuyasha, Kagome and Kohaku only a short time ago…"

Sango sighed, seeing the worry creep up behind the hunter's eyes. "I'm sure he's somewhere safe."

Miroku smiled back at her. "Thank you, Sango."

"Hey, hey, enough of that," Inuyasha snapped, noticing the mischievous spark in Miroku's eyes. "We need to get back on topic. Once we've found Kohaku we'll be continuing next to the…the tiger clan…" his words drifted off, his eyes growing wide as realization hit him.

"Hey, Inuyasha?" Shippou questioned, "Is something the matter?"

"He got quiet all of the sudden…" Sango pointed out, trying to peek at the man's face, hidden behind his bangs, to no avail. "What happened?" she asked, "did he remember something?"

"No idea." Miroku replied, equally confused.

"The…" Inuyasha began again weakly, his voice cracking. "The agreement…the papers…where are they?"

"Lost in the explosion most likely," Miroku said, feeling for his companion as he watched Inuyasha's head drop and his shoulders slump. "Besides that we've lost any food and money that we were carrying," he continued, ignoring the fact that his friend was growing closer and closer to the ground in defeat, "the horses are missing…all of our other supplies are gone…"

"I don't really have much either." Sango pointed out, "but you can't be too far from where you started, can you? Would it be too much trouble to go back?"

"In my case it wouldn't." Miroku said, turning to Inuyasha. "What about you Inuyasha? It would give you an opportunity to restock supplies, inform your people…"

"Alright!" The swordsman snapped, startling all of his companions as he suddenly shot up from his slumped over position, one fist shaking in front of his face. "We'll go back," he agreed, "gather supplies, take care of everything else…then we're continuing on the journey."

Sango smiled at the three men who were now to be her new companions and friends. "Good," she said, "During your travels to the four kingdoms you're bound to run into Naraku again. I'll be waiting for that moment…when I can finally destroy him and be rid of this curse…"

Miroku returned her smile. "It will be good to have you at our side, Sango," he continued, glancing at Inuyasha out of the corner of one eye, "now that that's settled…the only thing we have to worry about is Kagome."

"She doesn't have anything to do with this," Inuyasha managed around a mouthful of stew, tipping the bowl towards his mouth to get every last drop before continuing, "Kagome won't be coming with us anymore. We already decided that."

"That's true. She has her own business to take care of in the north, however…" Miroku's glanced at the swordsman beside him, "Don't you think it's about time you forgave her, Inuyasha?"

"Huh?" He blinked, staring at Miroku as he wiped his mouth off with one sleeve, "How did you know…?"

"It was rather obvious the two of you weren't on good terms when you arrived."

"It…was?"

Miroku sighed heavily, bowing his head in defeat. "Yes, it was, Inuyasha."

"I noticed it too…" Sango pointed out, watching Inuyasha's cheeks grow steadily brighter. "What exactly did she do that upset you so much?"

"Allow me to explain," Miroku said as he sat up, "Inuyasha up until recently had not realized that Kagome-san was half a god and the rightful ruler of the northern kingdom. I would assume she explained it to him sometime after we battled with Naraku and before we were reunited here.

"Why she didn't tell us much earlier I can only guess," He looked meaningfully at Inuyasha then, "but it would seem she was trying to explain herself with the talk she gave us last night. Not everyone wants to accept what they are given in life and would rather have their friends and comrades only see and believe what they allow them to. There's nothing wrong with that. Kagome-san will reveal her secrets when it is time…when she feels safe."

"I know that!" the swordsman snapped, folding his arms across his chest, and then wincing as the simple action caused pain to his injuries.

"Then why not give her your forgiveness?" The hunter asked. His eyes then lifted to the door, following the direction of the rest of the room's occupants as the topic of their discussion slipped quietly through the door. Miroku beamed at her, "And there she…" but his words drifted off when he caught the look on Kagome's face. Her head was bowed slightly, but not enough to hide the glazed look in her eyes or the lines of tension in her face. "Kagome-san is something…?" His words again died in his throat when she thrust something in his direction, and he immediately recognized it as a face mask very similar to his own, only slightly smaller, dented and bloodstained. "This is…"

"It was Kohaku's, wasn't it?" The hybrid asked in a flat tone. When she received a numb nod from the hunter she quickly averted her gaze, her next words coming out in just a whisper. "It's all I could find…I…I'm sorry…"

"Kohaku…" Miroku mumbled, settling the mask in his lap, never taking his eyes from it. "No, it's not something for you to be sorry over, Kagome-san." He continued with a heavy sigh. "I thought with the amount of time it took to find him and the extent of both mine and Inuyasha's injuries that this might be the case…"

Inuyasha, looking just as shocked and pained as Miroku, but not as willing to be quiet about it, turned to Kagome with a snarl. "That was all?" he snapped, "There wasn't anything else left?"

"There was only the mask," Kagome confirmed, still staring shamefully at the ground, "there was no body…nothing else…any scents I would have been able to follow were washed away with the rain…"

"Damn it!" Inuyasha yelled, slamming a fist into the floor. The wood splintered and cracked around his hand but he ignored the pain, furious as he yelled again. "Damn it! That bastard Naraku is going to pay by my hand when I find him!"

"There's nothing that can be done for him now, Inuyasha." Miroku said, his head still tipped towards his brother's mask. After another moment's hesitation he lifted his gaze to Sango. "Is there a graveyard you know of that's nearby, Sango?" he asked, "somewhere flat and peaceful where we could hold a funeral for my brother…"

"Behind the hut is where my father is buried," Sango told him sadly, "You're welcome to use that spot if it is to your liking," then after a moment she said, "I'm so sorry…"

Miroku nodded, offering her a weak smile in thanks. "I appreciate it." he said, and then turned once more to Kagome. "Thank you Kagome, for bringing this to me…"

The hybrid's eyes grew wide and she spun away from him quickly, presenting the group with her back. "Idiot." she bit out, "you have nothing to thank me for…"

Miroku said nothing to correct her, but spoke once more before she could vanish again. "If you would be there tomorrow morning for the funeral, I would appreciate it," he said gently, "Kohaku would have wanted you to be there."

Kagome's shoulders slumped slightly, but she nodded her head once to confirm it. "I'll be there," she told him before leaving for the forest again.

…

The next morning everyone gathered behind Sango's rundown hut where a little area had been cleared away. Two stone markers poked up through the dirt, each accompanied by a fresh bouquet of flowers from the surrounding forest. In front of the newest gravestone a small pot of incense burned.

Miroku smiled sadly as he knelt down in front of his brother's empty grave, reluctantly resting the dented mask in the dirt before the stone. "I am happy to at least have seen you one last time before you passed, little brother," he whispered before he clapped both hands together and bowed his head to pay his respects, "rest in peace Kohaku."

Sango, Inuyasha and Shippou followed suit behind the hunter. Kagome stood farther away, watching the scene play out through narrowed eyes. She bit back a growl of frustration that rose in her throat and turned away, unable to watch any longer. _'Damn it,'_ she thought, _'I was supposed to fucking protect them, is that not what my soul purpose was at the beginning of this stupid trip—to keep them safe?' _she closed her eyes, fists clenched at her sides. _'And I failed…' _

"Kagome?"

The hybrid turned to look down at Shippou, who had come away from the others and stood beside her, one hand tugging gently at her pant leg. "Are you alright?" he asked gently, "you look kind of upset…"

She smiled at him, bending down to ruffle his hair playfully before standing again. "I'm fine, Shippou," she reassured him, "but I have some things that I need to take care of now. I'll be back."

"But you've been away taking care of things almost all of the time we've been here," the boy protested, folding his arms, scowling up at her and looking for all the world like a miniature, red-headed version of Inuyasha. "What's so important that you have to keep leaving us? Why don't you stay for a little longer?"

'_Just wait until I'm gone for good, pup.' _The half demon thought shaking her head, "I'm sorry Shippou." She said simply, and then turned towards the same path she had now taken many times to disappear deep into the woods.

Inuyasha watched her go. _'She's lying again,'_ he thought. _'But Shippou is too young to realize it. She doesn't have anything to take care of…but being here, surrounded by death and grief and without anything to do…it's too much pressure for her.' _

He recognized the emotions he'd seen cross her face all too well. With Kohaku's death came the unbearable pain of losing a dear friend but it also brought the need for revenge. He wanted more than anything at that moment to hunt down Naraku and destroy him, but on top of his injuries he had no clue where the dragon demon was and even he realized that he didn't have the power to kill Naraku by himself. Still, the urge to vent his anger out on something, anything, was rising uncomfortably and the fact that he couldn't do anything to feed it made it only more painful.

With a grunt from the effort Inuyasha pushed himself away from the tree he'd been leaning on, using his sword as a makeshift crutch to support himself. "I need to be alone for a while," he explained to when he caught the curious stares of Sango and Shippou. Then without another word he wandered off in the same direction Kagome had gone moments before.

"He's going to see Kagome, isn't he?" Shippou asked a little too loudly.

"I am not!" Inuyasha snarled over his shoulder, satisfied when he heard the boy yelp and run to the safety of Sango's arms. He turned back towards the path ahead. _'It's not a complete lie at least,'_ he thought, continuing on the painfully slow journey after his half demon companion, _'I'd rather be alone right now, but I need to talk with Kagome before she leaves for good. This seems like the best time…'_

It wasn't hard to find her. He only had to follow the path of destruction until he came to the small clearing where a handful of large trees had once stood. Now only their stumps remained as reminders of where they used to be.

'_If she keeps this up there won't be any forest left soon. Kohaku's death affected her more then I would have imagined,' _he thought as a heavy trunk came down directly in front of him. His eyes drifted from the tree to the hybrid who had taken it down, catching her eye and frowning at what he saw. Her gaze looked feral, bloodthirsty even, but only for a brief moment. When she noticed him her expression turned to something he was much more familiar with, worry.

"What in the hell did you come all this way for?" She barked, attempting to hide her worry with a scowl. She easily cleared the large tree in one leap and landed in front of him, sniffing carefully. "Idiot," she grouched, "It's a miracle that you didn't open your wounds up again with all your recklessness…"

Inuyasha sighed and then dug around in his pocket for a moment, closing his hand over the desired item and thrusting it out towards her. "You forgot this."

Kagome's eyes widened as she recognized the little container in his palm. "Kaasan's medicine…" she whispered. Then with a sigh she reached out with both hands, gently closing his fingers around it and staring back up at him. "I left it on purpose." She explained, "You'll need it far more then I will. I want you to keep it."

"You…" Inuyasha frowned, but didn't put up a fight, instead tugging his hand from hers in order to deposit the medicine back in his pocket. "Are you sure?"

Kagome nodded, and then moved slowly back towards the diminished clearing. "Was that all?"

"Will you come back for it?" He asked next, ignoring the half demon's question. She stiffened in front of him, turning after a moment's hesitation to stare at him over one shoulder. When she didn't speak he went on, "for the medicine I mean…once you're done taking care of Koga and all that…" he glanced away, rubbing at the back of his neck uncomfortably, "you're going to come back, right?"

'_Is he…asking me to come back?'_ Kagome thought, staring at him in disbelief, _'does he really want to see me again, or am I just imagining it? I thought he hated me.' _

"I was…" she whispered, so quietly he could barely hear her, "I was under the impression that I wasn't wanted…"

Inuyasha stared down at her, watching as she turned to face him again, her head bowed and her face hidden behind her bangs. _'There was a time a few days ago,'_ he thought, _'I was sure I hated her. I was positive that I would be happy if I never saw her again. What is it that makes it so impossibly difficult for me to stay angry with her?'_ he continued, hoping she couldn't hear the increased pace of his heartbeat, _'no matter how hard I try I feel like I have to forgive her.' _

"That's not true."

Kagome's head snapped up, her eyes wide and uncertain as she stared hard at him, as if searching his face for lies. _'He's telling the truth…'_ she thought in disbelief, swallowing hard before he gaze fell once again to the ground, "if…if that's what you want, but…what happened? You wanted me to leave not that long ago."

Inuyasha shrugged with one shoulder, "I changed my mind."

"You…" Kagome gaped at him, "you can't change your mind!"

"I can too!"

Kagome sighed, her shoulders slumping it defeat. "Fine," she said, unwilling to begin another fight with him, especially one over something so small. "It doesn't really matter anyway," she went on, "what does matter is what will happen once I leave."

She stared him straight in the eyes, determined to make him listen, even if it was just this once. "You should go back to your village, take the others with you," she continued, "once everything has cooled down with Naraku then you can finish your journey, but it's too dangerous now. It would be better if you let the gods take care of things first."

Inuyasha stared down at her. To say he was shocked by her words would have been a crude understatement, and he could already feel the anger rising in his stomach. _'Does she seriously think that I'll just sit at home and watch someone else take all the credit?'_ he thought, _'why that…I won't just let her take care of things the way she wants!' _

"No." He bit out, knowing his fury was showing on his face, "there's no way in hell."

"N…" Kagome glared at him, "why not?"

"I'm not so weak that I need you to take care of Naraku for me!" He snapped, "I have every right to go after that bastard. He attacked us, he killed Kohaku, or did you already forget?"

"I didn't forget, that's why I'm telling you!" the hybrid protested, "That battle before was only the beginning, what do you think will happen if you fight him again?"

"I'll see when the time comes." Inuyasha said, equally as determined to win the argument as his half demon companion. "Give it up Kagome, my minds already made up, and that of Miroku and Sango's too." He continued, "Don't go thinking just because you're half a god you have more of a right to risk your life than anyone else. He destroyed Miroku's village…cursed Sango…do you really think they're going to just sit back and let someone else do all the work?"

She opened her mouth to protest but he quickly cut her off with his next words, "stop worrying so much!" He yelled at her, "no one is expecting you to be able to keep everyone safe!"

Kagome flinched, her face ducking away from his view. His words had hit their mark. "I told you before, idiot," she lied, as she always did, "I'm not worried. It's for your own good."

She heard Inuyasha sigh heavily above her and felt the callouses on his hand as he took her wrist in his and tugged her slightly closer. She stumbled through the handful of steps in between them uncertainly and then became very still and very silent as he wrapped her gently in his arms.

"What…Inuyasha?" She asked, trying to no avail to keep her voice at it's regular pitch. "What are you doing?"

"Shut up." He replied brusquely, tightening his hold on her slightly. "I know that you want to keep everyone safe, but this is a situation where that isn't going to be possible…you're going to have to relax and let everyone do as they want. It's not fair to ask us to sit on the sidelines when we all have our own reasons for wanting to get Naraku."

Kagome sighed, feeling her body unconsciously relax in his embrace. She wanted to protest again, but she couldn't conjure the right words to do so. "Inuyasha…"

"Sorry…"

Kagome opened her eyes, unsure when she had closed them. "Huh?"

"Sorry," he repeated, and then she felt the full weight of his body as he slumped against her. "I don't think…" he mumbled into her clothed shoulder, "I can hold myself up anymore…"

"Huh?" Kagome asked again, turning her head slightly so that she could see his face. He looked exhausted. _'That's right,'_ she thought, carefully lowering him to the ground, _'He came all the way out here on his own…with those injuries…' _

"You idiot!" She barked, "This is exactly why I was telling you earlier not to be reckless! You shouldn't have come!"

He shrugged again. He was now nearly unconscious as he leaned awkwardly against her, and looking at his face Kagome found herself unable to stay angry at him. "Idiot…" she whispered, "you can't even keep yourself away from danger for a second, can you?"

"Um…"

Kagome leapt to her feet, shoving Inuyasha to the ground in the process. Her eyes snapped to Sango, who stood innocently beside one of the many fallen trees in the clearing, Shippou perched on one of her shoulders.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," she said apologetically, sending a worried glance in Inuyasha's direction. "Is he alright?"

"He's asleep." Kagome grunted, "Did you need something?"

Sango nodded. "Miroku asked me to find you…" she explained, "He wanted to thank you properly."

Kagome snorted, turning away. "That stupid Miroku," she grumbled, "I already told him once that he doesn't need to thank me for anything…"

"I do." Miroku said as he made his way into the clearing, making both women jump at his unexpected arrival. He surveyed the damage of the forest briefly but didn't comment on it. "If it wasn't for your help we may have never found his mask."

"The one's you should really thank are Satoshi and Kazuo," the hybrid told him, "they found the mask. I just brought it to you."

"You can give them my thanks as well then." Kagome nodded, although she didn't look any more convinced that she or her pack mates had been of any real help. "Kagome-san," the hunter began again, "I'm sure Inuyasha has already explained the situation to you," he received another short nod from the half demon and went on, "we will be returning to his village for a short time to gather supplies and inform his people, and then we will be continuing with the journey."

"He told me." Kagome said, although she hadn't known about their planned return until Miroku had explained it.

"In that case…" Miroku went on, "I hope you also realize that we would all be happy to have you back once you have finished your business in the north."

"I…"

"You will come back, right?" Shippou asked next, jumping from Sango's shoulders and making himself comfortable in Kagome's arms instead. His face fell slightly when the half demon continued hesitating. "Please, Kagome?"

Kagome managed weak smile for the young boy in her arms, _'Why do they all want me to stay with them so badly?' _she thought, _'is it really because they want me with them?'_

"I'll come back." She said finally. "I promise."

Kagome watched as the young hybrid leapt from her arms, a large grin on his face. Out of the corner of one eye she caught Sango turning back towards the path from where she'd come, her face suddenly worried. _'Where is she going?'_ the hybrid thought, and then her eyes narrowed, lifting her nose to scent the air. _'Or more importantly…who is she going to see?' _

…

Peace never lasts very long around here does it…? _Hopefully Kagome and Inuyasha weren't unbearably OOC in that last bit. It was kind of necessary for Inuyasha to be the wise one (for once) to be able to write what I wanted to…maybe we can just pretend that Miroku's been rubbing off on him a bit. Yeah, let's pretend that. :3 Hopefully you all enjoyed their hug at any rate? _

_So in any case, if you haven't noticed Miroku and Sango didn't exactly switch. I couldn't see her being a priestess…or a female monk…or a spiritual person of any sort…so instead I decided to just take her story and basically split it up in between the two (obviously changing some things and keeping some of Miroku's…habits). I might have been better off just leaving the both of them alone, but ah, who cares, what's done is done. XD _

_Oh, and I totally failed to make a short chapter…again. I seriously am starting to think I'm just doomed to forever write these huge mega-chapters that I'm sure you all enjoy reading but I don't particularly like writing. XD it's a little bit too much for me to focus on all at once, so I'm really going to try and make the next one…and hopefully the rest after that a wee bit more on the short side (which isn't actually saying that much since these are so long). I'm sorry if that disappoints you guys, but hey, seeing as how I've been trying to do that for like…the last three chapters…it probably won't work anyway and you actually have NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! D: (I might). _

_**Chapter 18: We'll Meet Again**_

"_You miss them too, don't you Inuyasha?" Shippou asked, peering up at the swordsman as they walked. He didn't respond, and the youngster in turn bowed his head to stare at his feet. "I bet you miss Kagome especially…because you two were lovers…" _

_I love you Shippou, you're so hopelessly full of awkward comments and assumptions… XD he's the best. _

_Toodles! – K _


	18. Chapter 18

_AN: Ah…um…well…this chapter didn't quite come out as soon as I'd hoped. *looks on innocently* I'm sorry, but it's out now so you should all be happy, right? I hope it was worth your longer-then-planned wait anyway. _

_On another note entirely, did anyone besides me ever wonder where Naraku got all those baboon pelts? And why a spider demon wore the pelt of a baboon in the first place? I kind of wonder why a dragon demon would wear a baboon pelt too…but it's kind of a Naraku thing, he wouldn't be who he is without it. Just like Miroku wouldn't be who he is without being a pervert. XD _

_No I'm not crazy, why would you think that? _

…_Alright, go read the chapter already. -_- _

**Chapter 18: We'll Meet Again **

"Faster, Kirara," Sango urged her feline companion to speed up as she flew through the sky, red flames licking at her neck, paws and each of her two tails. The cat demon let out a roar, then complied with the woman's orders. Sango spared a glance over one shoulder, as if checking to make sure Kagome, Inuyasha and the others weren't following after her. She couldn't see any movement in the trees below and couldn't sense their presence nearby so she turned to face forwards again, satisfied.

'_It's best if they don't come after me,' _she thought, _'Inuyasha and Miroku are too badly hurt to even defend themselves, much less fight. I don't want to put either of them in unnecessary danger. And Kagome…'_ she frowned as he mind drifted to the half wolf god, _'she clearly doesn't trust me yet. It could be a problem if she came.' _

Her hands tightened slightly on Hiraikotsu's strap as she felt Kirara begin her descent, following the lead of a pair of demonic wasps known as the saimyosho. They were hardly dangerous on their own, unless you got close enough to be stung, but Naraku relied on them regularly for messaging purposes.

Sango followed the black and yellow striped abdomens of the saimyosho as they flew into a clearing, landing on an outstretched hand. The woman bared her teeth as she recognized who the extended limb belonged to.

"Naraku," she bit out, leaping from Kirara's back once she'd landed and raising her weapon overtop her head, leaving an unspoken threat hanging in the air. "Why did you call me out here, you bastard?"

The man smirked, although one could hardly tell as much since most of his body was hidden beneath an albino baboon pelt. Only his lower face and one arm, which held the Saimyosho, was revealed.

"Sango…" the masked demon began, his smirk widening slightly. "Were you able to successfully bring down the half demon, Kagome? Or did you fail to kill her?"

Sango stiffened, but she refused to allow anything else to reveal her shock. Doubtful and hopeful at the same time, she ducked her head slightly, allowing herself a brief moment to think. _'He doesn't know? How is that possible…?' _she asked herself, unconsciously lowering her weapon to her side as she mulled over Naraku's words. _'Is he really unaware of what transpired between the two of us? No, that's impossible…he's always kept tabs on me in the past. He's just playing with me, damn him! He wants me to get my hopes up!' _

"I won't fall into your trap, Naraku!" she snarled at him, lifting her head to glare straight into the empty sockets where the baboon's eyes would have been. "You know what happened," she went on, "I'm not a fool enough to believe I have anything to explain to you!"

Naraku chuckled, "very good, Sango." He praised, although his tone had a rather obvious lack of actual approval. "You've disappointed me. I thought I'd be able to rely on your power to destroy a weakling such as that half breed but you failed to complete even the simplest of tasks."

He hesitated a moment, and as he tipped his head slightly Sango could clearly see one blood red eye staring past the mask and straight at her. "I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself." He said, "Hunt down the hybrid again and, this time bring me her head…"

Sango stumbled back a handful of steps, her eyes wide and her lips parted slightly in shock. "What?"

"Would you rather continue to live out what little life you have alone and in constant worry of when your last day will be? Would you rather meet the same fate that your father did when he died?" the dragon taunted, his expression growing more amused as he watched the woman before him grow more uncomfortable with each passing second. Her shoulders slumped and her head bowed again, effectively hiding her eyes from him.

"It shouldn't bother you. How many demons have you killed in the past? Hundreds? Thousands? And yet you refuse to raise your weapon against a mere half demon for your own life…" he chuckled, "how pathetic…"

"I…" Sango bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, her hands tightening on Hiraikotsu's strap enough that her knuckles turned white. If looks could kill, Naraku would have fallen over dead at that moment. "I will not play your games, Naraku!"

…

"I don't need you to carry me," Inuyasha told Kagome gruffly, his eyes drifting down to his ride as she effortlessly leapt from one branch to another. When they left to follow after Sango she had ordered Miroku and Shippou along with himself to climb on her back so that they could travel faster. Of course he had protested, and still did, just to make sure she wouldn't get it in her head that he actually appreciated her totting him around like a piece of luggage. What self-respecting guy would appreciate a girl carrying them around like that? Even if she was a half demon, it wasn't right.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own." he went on with a huff and when she didn't respond he turned instead to scowl at the trees as they whipped by. "Stupid wench," he added as an afterthought, forgetting that she could hear him.

Kagome rolled her eyes but she didn't let his protests slow her down. In fact she sped up as they grew ever closer to their destination. "I know you can walk, idiot, you proved that earlier." She snapped at him, not taking her eyes off the path ahead. "But you're too damn slow with that broken leg. Besides, your attempts last time only ended with you unconscious."

"I was asleep." Inuyasha corrected, scowl darkening.

"There's not that much difference," Kagome pointed out with a sigh.

"Kagome-sama…" Miroku cut in, stopping the conversation between his two friends before it turned into another one of their petty arguments, if it hadn't already. "You believe Sango is going to meet with Naraku?"

"I know she is," Kagome barked, turning her head slightly so that she could see him. "I can pick up his foul scent from here…I'd recognize it anywhere…"

The hunter probed further, "Do you think it's about the deal they made?"

Kagome fell silent, her eyes drifting to the branches at her feet as she became lost in her own thoughts. _'Right…the deal. Naraku asked her to kill me and in exchange he said he'd lift her curse.' _She thought,_ 'and even if it isn't the truth it must be tempting for Sango to follow through with his orders. Not like I can blame her. But what if she tries to attack me again?'_

"Kagome-sama?"

"Probably…" the hybrid replied finally.

"I don't get it." Shippou spoke up from his place squished between the two men. "I thought we were going to travel together, that Sango decided to be our friend. Why would she go off all alone to face Naraku and not tell us if that's the case?"

"It will take more than us becoming traveling companions for friendship to build, Shippou." Miroku pointed out, and then he went on, "and even more for her to trust us. We still don't know each other very well. We will all need time to get used to each other and realize that we can depend on one another. Sango is so used to being alone that she still believes that she has to face her problems on her own…she doesn't understand yet that she can count on us to help her, especially when it concerns Naraku."

"She better figure that out fast then," Kagome snapped over one shoulder, and then she grew stiff, pausing on the next branch as her senses worked on overdrive to pick up the barely audible, even for her, sounds of Naraku and Sango's conversation and the scents that they both gave off. They were close enough now. "We're going down," she warned her companions, and without waiting for confirmation that they had understood her, she dropped from the trees and landed in a crouch among a pile of brush.

"What in the hell were you thinking?" Inuyasha, who had nearly fallen from her back from the unexpected drop, snapped at her. Any words he had planned to say next were quickly silenced by a clawed hand slapping over his mouth. Kagome glared at him, her eyes delivering the necessary message without needing to open her mouth. She dropped her hand and then crept forward until she could see into the clearing ahead while remaining safely hidden behind the brush. Her ears twitched as she picked up Naraku's next words.

"I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself." He said, "Hunt down the hybrid again, and this time bring me her head…"

Kagome bit back a snarl at what she heard, and this time she had to cover her own mouth before she revealed their position with a string full of colorful words. _'Damn him,'_ she thought furiously, _'he's still trying to get Sango to take care of things for him. What a coward…' _

"What's going on? What are they saying?" Inuyasha probed, albeit very quietly. Even as close as they were, the three humans couldn't make out the exchange of words between Sango and Naraku. That meant they were left to rely on Kagome for translations.

"He want's Sango to try again," the hybrid explained in a quick, hushed tone, her eyes never leaving the conversation in front of her. "To kill me I mean."

Kagome scooted sideways a handful of feet to allow Inuyasha and Miroku room to crawl up beside her and peek through the branches. "She's not going to agree though, is she?" Shippou asked worriedly. He then slapped both hands over his mouth to silence a yelp of surprise when Kagome scowled back at him.

"Be quiet, pup!" she ordered, "you'll give away our position if you're too loud." She returned her eyes to the scene a second later once she was satisfied that the younger hybrid wouldn't speak again. Neither of the two had seemed to hear Shippou's outburst, but that wasn't what the half demon was most concerned about at that moment. Sango still hadn't responded, and with her head bowed Kagome couldn't see her expression to gage whether or not the woman was considering it, or worse, approving of the dragon's suggestion.

They waited with baited breath for Sango's next words and Kagome squirmed uncomfortably as the scent of the woman's blood filled her nostrils. She waited for the worst when she caught sight of Sango's death-dealing glare but was shocked to hear words that were quite the opposite of what she'd been expecting.

'_She's not going to do it?' _Kagome thought, her eyes reflecting a mixture of relief and confusion. _'Why? I thought—'_ her thoughts came to an abrupt stop as she noticed something shift beneath Naraku's baboon pelt. Her eyes narrowed on the demon not far from her.

'_He's obviously planning something. But what?'_ she asked herself, glancing back and forth between the pair. Her eyes locked on Sango as she lifted Hiraikotsu above her head and threw it, sending the weapon spiraling dangerously towards Naraku. The dragon didn't make any attempt to dodge however, and Kagome's eyes widened as she caught sight of the smug smile on his partially hidden face.

Thick, brown colored tentacles tore out from beneath Naraku's pelt and shot towards the flying projectile. Several of them quickly warped into what looked more like arms, with clawed hands at the end, and grabbed onto the boomerang as it grew closer. Most of the appendages were torn up in the process, but it was enough to redirect the weapon and keep it from returning to Sango, who was now defenseless as another tentacle that hadn't been destroyed by Hiraikotsu flew towards her, aiming for her heart.

"Stay here!" Kagome ordered as she got to her feet. Then, without a rearward glance to make sure her human companions had understood her, she leapt from their hiding place and charged into the clearing. _'I have to get to her on time!'_ Kagome thought, moving so fast that her feet never touched the ground. _'I have to!' _

…

Hoshi sighed for the seventh time as she looked to the north. The mountains that enveloped the wolf's kingdom were no longer visible. In fact they had been out of view for quite some time already and she, along with the rest of Kagome's pack, traveled farther and farther from them with every step.

'_She won't be happy when she sees me, will she?'_ the fairy asked herself, thinking about the half demon that she was on her way to gather, by any means necessary, and drag back to the north. She answered her own question a second later, sighing again, _'most definitely not.'_

"Hoshi?"

"Huh?" the fairy tore her gaze from the unseen mountains in the distance in order to look back at her current ride. She stood facing backwards on Momoko's right shoulder, the young wolf demon having been the only one who had been willing give the fairy a lift when she'd asked. Momoko, or Momo as most of the wolves referred to her affectionately, was without a doubt the most gentle and kind hearted member of the pack. In fact she was most likely that of anybody Hoshi had ever met in her entire life, which was saying something considering that the fairy was several centuries old and had met her share of humans, demons and other creatures in all of her years.

Momoko had warm, honey colored eyes and short hair that barely reached her shoulders in length, colored a dark brown. Her ears were large and pointed and she had the same claws and fangs that most demons possessed. The yukata she wore was short, torn off at the knees to make moving easier. It was light green with two purple stripes running horizontally across her left shoulder, although they were almost completely hidden below the silver plates of armor that also covered her shoulders, along with her back, chest and belly.

"You keep sighing and looking back towards the north…" Momo pointed out, reaching up and carefully taking Hoshi in both hands before bringing the fairy to stand in her cupped palms barely a foot from the wolf demon's face. She looked genuinely worried, "What's bothering you?"

Hoshi smiled reassuringly at her friend, but her smile didn't seem to reach her eyes and Momo noticed this. "It's nothing for you to worry about, Momo-chan." She told her, "I'm just, you know…thinking…"

"Thinking about what?" The wolf probed, lowering her hands slightly so that she could follow the path ahead more easily, but not taking her eyes from her fairy companion. "Is it about Kagome? Are you worried that she'll be angry when we arrive?"

Hoshi sighed. Again.

On top of being the kindest and gentlest member of Kagome's pack, Momo was also the most perceptive, sometimes to an almost annoying degree. But it was impossible to stay angry with her for more than a handful of seconds, even when she did point out things that most would not have brought up.

"It is," the fairy replied, "it's not that I think she'll be angry, just…frustrated. And you know how she is when she's in a bad mood. Irritable, grouchy and not at all pleasant to be around…"

"I know."

Hoshi opened her mouth to go on but closed it a second later without any words leaving. Her brow furrowed as she took in the look on Momo's face. She had stopped suddenly, along with the rest of the pack that had been traveling ahead of them, her eyes wide and her nose twitching ever so slightly as she scented the air. Hoshi had been with the wolves long enough to realize when something wasn't right and that was definitely the case nose.

"Momoko, Momo-chan, what is it?" she asked, turning to look towards the rest of the pack when she didn't answer. "Toshi-chan," she called to Toshiko, who in the absence of both Kazuo and Kagome was the leader. "Answer me, what's going on?"

Toshiko turned to look at the fairy over one shoulder, her golden eyes piercing. She wore the traditional garb for most demon wolf packs. Dark gray furs covered her shoulders and back and wrapped around her waist, three tails hanging limply behind her. On her chest and both lower arms and legs were black and red armor. Her light brown hair was held up in a simple ponytail and, like Momo, she had pointed ears, claws and fangs.

"Kagome is in battle with someone." She explained quickly, "someone dangerous, I smell poisons and death surrounding the person."

"Naraku…" Hoshi whispered, "It must be him…"

Toshiko turned back towards the path ahead and her face elongated slightly as she prepared to transform. **"We must catch up quickly,"** she told the rest of the pack, opening her jaws to reveal a mouthful of sharp fangs. **"Hurry up and change, all of you!" **

Seconds later her transformation was complete and what once had been a demon wolf that mostly resembled a human, was now a large beast covered in cinnamon colored fur aside from a few patches of darker brown on her face, ears and shoulder. She bared her fangs at the rest of the pack, a silent threat to any who didn't think it wise to follow her orders to transform and follow. Then she took off.

…

Sango closed her eyes, waiting for the worst as a single tentacle tore away from the rest and flew towards her. Without Hiraikotsu she couldn't block it, and she had no other weapons to defend herself properly either. Her sickle blade had been destroyed when she had battled with Kagome a handful of days earlier, as had her sword, and she hadn't seen either since the fight.

A moment passed, and she finally opened her eyes when instead of feeling the expected pain of Naraku's appendage ripping through her chest she only felt a rush of wind around her as something grabbed her by the back of her battle garb. She looked up to see Kagome scowling down at her, her teeth bared and her eyes glowing with fury.

"You stupid idiot!" the hybrid barked at her, "what in the hell were you thinking just _standing_ there and waiting for him to kill you! You could have at least tried to get away somehow!"

"What…what are you saving me for?" Sango asked, not only shocked that the half demon had been nearby in the first place, but that she had bothered to help her. When they landed a good distance away from Sango's original position she took a handful of steps backwards to separate herself from Kagome. "I don't understand," she said uneasily, "I tried to kill you earlier. Why would you help me suddenly?"

Kagome snorted, folding her arms across her chest and turning to glance back in the direction from where she'd come. "Well if you want to die so badly then next time I should just leave you be." She grumbled, "But you're still planning to tag along with Inuyasha and Miroku, aren't you? That means your part of their group…and until I leave, you're part of mine too…"

With that said she turned again, this time facing Naraku, who looked less than satisfied with her interference. "And I won't let anyone in that group be killed, at least not while I'm still alive. Especially by you, you cowardly bastard…" she took a handful of threatening steps closer to the dragon, "how pathetic do you have to be to ask others to kill your prey for you? I thought I was just a weak half demon…" she smirked, a cruel, pain-promising smirk, "but here I have found an all-powerful dragon demon asking someone else to take me down. You killed my mother, didn't you? Did she scare you enough that you're too afraid to face me now?"

Naraku laughed, although his voice held no amusement as he spoke, "don't get a hot head, half breed. It was only for my own convenience that Sango was asked to destroy you. Think of how easy it could have been for me is she had killed you and then died on her own due to the wounds you had inflicted. Ah, but that's right, you would never harm a human, would you?"

Kagome's snarls grew in volume as she dropped into a crouch, "Too bad for you I don't have the same principles about harming demons like yourself." She glanced at the human woman beside her, nodding towards where the others were hiding once she'd caught her attention. "Go and hide. I'll take care of this scum bag."

"I won't."

Kagome's jaw dropped slightly. "What do you mean, you won't?" she barked, "he's already disarmed you, you can't fight! Stop being stubborn and let me take care of this!"

"It won't be a problem if I can get to Hiraikotsu," Sango explained, reaching out to rub Kirara's forehead as the demon cat stepped up beside her master. "Kirara will get me there safely."

Kagome groaned, but she grudgingly agreed and reached into her haori to pull out a short sword, which Sango quickly recognized as her own, shoving it into the woman's hands. "Take it," she muttered, "at least it will give you something to defend yourself with if I can't distract Naraku properly."

"You…" Sango began, shocked as she took the weapon in her hands, drawing the blade from it's sheath to see that it had been straightened. "You fixed it…"

"Of course," Kagome replied, then spun around to face Naraku again, clawing through several of his tentacles as they came flying towards the pair. "Go!" she shouted over her shoulder at the demon slayer, "I'll take care of him for now!"

"You'll take care of me, will you?" Naraku taunted, and then launched another handful of tentacles at her. There had to be at least twenty of them, and they were all coming at her from opposite directions, sprouting hands and attempting to grab onto her as she twisted and ducked out of the way. She managed to dodge each and every one of them, and then she leapt into the air, not missing the way that all of the appendages followed after her, reaching for her legs as she flew higher and higher.

"Wrong move," She smirked as she bent over in midair, displaying her hands out in front of her as she began her descent and releasing a wall of flames that caught each of the tentacles on fire. In no time the flames had crippled the appendages and were quickly spreading, creating a deadly trail down the arms that they used as a sort of wick to reach Naraku.

The demon didn't look at all bothered, and a handful of seconds later Kagome realized why as he leapt away, leaving his appendages behind to burn, and landed a handful of meters behind them. "Damn…" she growled as she too landed, preparing to meet his next move whatever it may be. "He can detach from those things, can he?"

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango yelled from behind as she sent the boomerang bone flying once again, aiming for Naraku's chest. Naraku leapt into the air to dodge it, and as Sango passed beneath him, riding on Kirara's back, he sent a single tentacle out towards her, the end narrowing until it resembled the sharpness of a spear's tip.

"Don't you even think about it!" Kagome snapped, intercepting the tentacle and slicing it in half horizontally with her scythe, only to be slammed into the ground a second later at the half still attached to it's owner split into two and pinned her to the ground. She was freed a moment later when Sango tore through the arm with her sword as she passed by again on Kirara.

Kagome was quick to climb to her feet, and before the appendage could change again she turned her scythe in her hands, transferring her power to blade and leaping into the air. She cut through it vertically this time, flying higher as she grew closer to the body. She would have continued until she'd cut Naraku clean in half had he not released a cloud of miasma just in time, saving himself and sending the wolf hybrid sailing quickly back towards the ground to avoid being burned by the poison, or knocked unconscious by the horrid smell.

Naraku smirked down at her as the half demon turned, scowling furiously up at him from her crouching position. He remained in the air, hovering above his opponents as his tentacles recovered from Kagome's latest attack, regenerating over and over until he once again had a mass of appendages waiting to strike.

"Damn him…" Kagome grumbled, remaining in a crouch as she thought out her next move. _'I won't let him get away…'_ she told herself furiously, _'not again.' _

She finally climbed to her feet, scythe in one hand as she prepared to strike again. She hesitated however as a familiar scent filled her nostrils, and her eyes widened in realization. _'I can't believe it,'_ she thought, _'I was so distracted that I didn't even notice how close they were…'_

She could feel Kazuo's presence behind her. He wasn't far, hiding just inside the foliage. The rest of the pack had created a semicircle behind Naraku, although he hadn't seemed to notice them, or if he had he gave no signs that he knew they were there. Five pairs of eyes locked on to Kagome's, awaiting her orders without question.

Kagome grinned, "You won't leave here in one piece, Naraku," she said confidently. With a slight movement of her hand she motioned for the five wolf demons ahead of her as well as Kazuo to get closer. They did, and it wasn't until Naraku saw the silver haired wolf hybrid step up beside Kagome, and heard the threatening snarls of the five wolves behind him, that his smirk faded into a deep frown.

"I hope you weren't planning on running away again, because it's far too late for that now." Kagome told him. She then lowered her gaze from Naraku's floating body to look at her pack mates.

"Kill him."

That was all they needed to hear. Their claws tore into the ground as they charged towards the enemy, waiting for the perfect moment and then leaping high into the air and latching onto any part of Naraku's body that they could reach, shredding his flesh easily with their fangs. Naraku didn't make their job easy however, the clawed hands at the end of each of his appendages regenerated each time they were destroyed and grabbed onto the wolves, removing them forcefully from his body and throwing them to the ground. Each time the wolves came back for more, picking themselves up from the ground, shaking off and then jumping back into the air for a second or third attempt at bringing down the dragon demon.

"Hey," Kagome called from the ground, catching not only Naraku's attention, but that of her pack mates. She stood with her body turned slightly towards Kazuo, one arm fully extended with her wrist bent and her palm facing forward, the other arm bent at her side, her hand making a fist. Kazuo stood in a mirror image of his cousin's position. At the same time they released a stream of blue fire, both of which merged together to create what looked like a large, furious wolf's head. The fire wolf flew across the ground for a moment and then came up in an arc, mouth gaping as it rushed towards Naraku.

The five wolves that had been attacking Naraku relentlessly wasted no time in diving away from the oncoming fire wolf to avoid being burned. Naraku wasn't quite fast enough however and the flames ate their way hungrily up his tentacles, growing dangerously close to his body. "Foolish half breeds," Naraku called to the pair on the ground, even as he twisted away from the oncoming flames as they destroyed all of his appendages. "As if a single trick like that could kill me!"

Despite his words, once he had managed to get away from the fire wolf, which was not an easy feat, he turned away from the battle, releasing the damaged and still burning tentacles behind him as he attempted to escape. He didn't get far. Kagome flew across the ground, passing beneath him and then turning as she shot straight up into the air to intercept the escaping enemy.

"I thought I told you," she said as she met him in the air, scythe held tightly in both hands as she prepared to strike. "You won't get away."

With that said, she tore into his chest with the hot white blade of her weapon. At first Naraku only smirked at her, but then his lips curved downwards into a furious scowl as he fell back, and Kagome was forced to retreat to the ground as a stream of miasma leaked from the wound. She landed in a crouch a handful of seconds before Naraku's body crashed into the ground. Kagome's pack mates circled around what was left of the body, snarling and snapping at each other as if fighting over who would get to tear into the remains first.

"Back off, all of you," Kagome ordered, standing from her crouch and moving towards what remained of Naraku's body. The pelt of a baboon, a wooden doll with a single strand of hair wrapped around it several times and a pile of fresh soil lay at her feet. _'A puppet?'_ she asked herself, reaching down to pick up the wooden doll and giving it a sniff. _'Damn that coward, he was never even here in the first place…'_

She caught sight of Toshiko approaching out of the corner of her eye and turned, tossing the doll at the wolf's feet. Toshiko stared at Kagome quizzically, and then stepped forward to take a tentative sniff.

"Memorize that scent, all of you." Kagome ordered, nodding to the others as they crept up beside Toshiko to inspect the wooden doll. "It's faint, but Naraku's stench is there…if you ever come across anything that smells the same kill it."

A chorus of whines followed as the five wolves moved around the doll. Kazuo stepped up beside Kagome, crouching down and taking a sniff for himself before looking towards his cousin. "When you fought him before…was he a puppet then as well?

Kagome frowned, recalling her earlier encounter with the dragon. "No," she answered, "that was the real thing. I'm sure of it." She then turned as Sango approached her, followed shortly by Kirara, who carried Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippou on her back. "It was just a puppet," she explained with a sigh, "The real battle is far from over."

"I should have expected it. In all of the times that I've met him, he's never shown his true face." Sango said, staring down at the puppet's remains and raising a brow at the way the four-legged members of Kagome's pack engaged in a game of tug-o-war over the baboon pelt while Kazuo watched with a hint of disgust. She glanced at Kagome to see that she too was observing the wolves play and looking slightly nauseous. She smiled at the female half demon, "I want to thank you," she said softly, "for saving me back there…"

Kagome shrugged, trying her best to look unconcerned, even though she was internally shocked that Sango had bothered to thank her, especially for doing something that came so naturally to her. "It's not a big deal," she said, and then she gave the air a sniff before heading back in the direction of Sango's rundown hut. "We should go back now." She explained, gesturing for the rest to follow after her, which they did, "Hoshi's here so she can take care of Inuyasha and Miroku's wounds…"

It wasn't long before the group, minus five wolves, had piled into Sango's tiny home. Hoshi got to work immediately on healing what she could of Inuyasha and Miroku's wounds, considering she had already spent a great deal of energy in the last couple days. Since her abilities were directly linked to how tired or hungry she was, the fairy explained, it might be a few days before she was able to get them well enough that they could function normally.

"We appreciate anything you can manage, Hoshi," Miroku said gently, returning the fairy's smile with one of his own. "I think we're all lucky to have people like yourself and Kagome-sama on our side."

Kagome glared at him through half lid eyes from across the room. She sat by the door, as she usually did whenever she spent time in a human structure of any sort, leaning comfortably against her cousin who was seated beside her. _'When did he start calling me that?'_ she asked herself, _'I didn't notice it before, but that really ticks me off. He should know better than to use such honorifics on someone like me. It just sounds stupid.' _

"Ah, well," Hoshi's voice tore the hybrid from her thoughts, and she looked up to meet the fairy's meaningful gaze, "Kagome has other things that she needs to take care of somewhere else," Hoshi explained, "so the two of us won't be—"

"They already know, Hoshi," Kagome interrupted, "I told them."

"Oh," the fairy blinked a few times, looking back and forth between Inuyasha, Miroku and Kagome. She grinned sheepishly and then returned her attention to the break in Miroku's left arm. "Well it's about time," she went on, "Kagome's been really lazy about her duties up until now. She has to return to the northern kingdom to kick Koga's butt and take her place as the northern god, half god, I mean, but she's been a pain in the neck about it for the past couple of years. Seriously, can you imagine how much work I've had to do in her place? I mean, first she disappears for three years, then I finally find her and she's all stubborn like, "I don't want to do it, you can't make me!""

"Hoshi," Kagome growled, fur bristling at the fake, feminine tone that Hoshi had used, "I didn't say it like that, and I didn't use that stupid voice either, idiot!"

"Anyway, anyway," Hoshi giggled, unconcerned by the wolf hybrid's anger, "now that you know about Kagome why not have her sign that agreement of yours, hmm?" she glanced past Miroku to were Inuyasha was siting, waiting patiently for his turn to have his wounds healed. The swordsman flinched, looking back at the fairy with wide eyes and a loose jaw.

"W-what?" He sputtered.

"Well she's right here," Hoshi pointed out, gesturing to where the female hybrid sat not even ten feet away. "You might as well have her sign the thing before she leaves. It'll be one less thing for you to worry about in the end."

"Yeah…" Inuyasha glanced from the fairy to Kagome, and then his gaze fell to the ground. His cheeks took on a soft pink glow as he stumbled over his next words. "But the papers kind of…"

"The agreement was lost." Shippou filled in bluntly, before taking a bite of a relatively small lizard, which had been cooking slowly by the fire up until a few minutes ago. He took several more mouthfuls before he realized that the hut's occupants had grown eerily silent and he jumped, turning to look at each and every one of his companions. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"You didn't say anything wrong, Shippou-chan," Sango reassured, although she too looked around the room skeptically. "Ah, it's not really any of my business," the demon slayer said, "but would it be terribly difficult for you to create a new one?"

Hoshi let out a frustrated sigh, folding her arms and shaking her head. "It's not that easy." She said, and then her accusing gaze settled on Inuyasha. "I can't believe you lost it!"

"What?" Inuyasha snapped, bristling at her accusations, "it's not my fault!" he barked, shaking a fist at the fairy, "it couldn't have been helped! I was unconscious!"

"It doesn't matter whether the stupid thing is lost or not," Kagome snapped, drawing the rooms attention, "I don't need to sign anything for you to know I'll keep things in check on my end. The same can be said for the other gods too…"

"You think Sesshoumaru will still do it without the agreement?" Kazuo asked from beside her, raising a skeptical brow at his older cousin, "and Mikio and Katashi-sama too?"

Kagome remained silent for a minute, scowling at the ground as she thought this through. Sesshoumaru and Mikio, the tiger god, probably would. They were both smart enough to realize that things would only become a lot more difficult for them if the jewel wasn't protected properly.

Katashi was another story. He was the strongest of the four gods, but he certainly wasn't the kindest. She'd only met him once before, very briefly, but she remembered him well. He had easily made Sesshoumaru look like a warm, cuddly puppy dog.

Kagome glanced up from the floor, exchanging an annoyed look with her cousin. "It doesn't matter." She insisted bitterly, "it'll be fine."

"Well, if that's the case then…" Inuyasha started, averting his gaze from all of the room's occupants and rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. "I mean, it would still be best to know for sure…but…thank you, Kagome…"

"Aw," Hoshi beamed, glancing past Miroku again to stare teasingly at the clearly embarrassed swordsman. "That's so cute," she said with a laugh, "look at you, you're blushing…"

"Shut up, you stupid fairy!"

Kagome remained silent as she listened to Hoshi's continued teasing, but her eyes never left Inuyasha's face, even as he made a pathetic attempt to hide his red cheeks from view. _'He thanked me…'_ she thought, utterly speechless. Not only was it unlike him to thank anyone, much less her, but the fact that anyone at all had even bothered. _'Why?'_ she asked herself, finally lowering her gaze back to her lap and completely missing the knowing look Kazuo sent her way, _'Why would anyone thank me for something like that?' _

…

Sango watched curiously as Inuyasha moved around in front of the hut, just a handful of feet from the porch where she sat with Miroku and Shippou. Hoshi's healing abilities, although she had been skeptical at first, were truly amazing. A week ago Inuyasha had needed support to move just about anywhere and even simple acts such as rolling over or sitting up had caused him pain. Now he could walk and run, albeit with a limp, and was currently sparing with an invisible opponent without any signs of pain.

"It's quite something, isn't it?" Miroku asked from beside her, as if he had read her mind. "It was a blessing to have Hoshi with us."

"I agree." Sango replied with a nod, glancing at him out of the corner of one eyes, "and your wounds? How are they doing?"

"They're mostly healed now." Miroku said, lifting up his left arm and rotating his shoulder a few times before dropping it again. He smiled down at his hand, now resting in his lap. "Inuyasha and I both should be ready to travel by tomorrow morning. Wouldn't you say, Inuyasha?"

"Feh, I could have left already if it weren't for you." Inuyasha replied gruffly, straightening up from his battle-ready position and sheathing his sword. He made his way over to the porch, climbing up the steps and then moving across the floor to lean against the doorframe. "You better not plan on me taking it easy either," he continued, "There aren't any excuses for us to go slow. We need to make it to the village as quickly as possible. I won't tolerate any time wasted on helping others."

Miroku sighed, one brow twitching in irritation. "I agree with you," He said, "however I do think you need to take into consideration that most of us are human. Even though our wounds have been mostly healed, it will be easy to overdo things." He scowled as he went on, "and I fail to see how you can consider it a waste of time to stop and assist others who may need our help…"

Inuyasha snorted. "Whatever. Keep up or you'll all get left behind," he snapped, before disappearing inside the hut.

"Is he always like that?" Sango asked, watching him go with wide eyes, and then turning to Miroku. "I can understand why he is so eager, but…"

"I'm afraid so," the hunter admitted, "I've managed to get used to it somehow. But don't be too worried to speak up if you need to. Inuyasha may act tuff, but somewhere deep down I believe he has a kind and understanding heart."

Sango's eyes narrowed slightly. "I won't."

A small sniffle brought both human's attention to the young fox hybrid that had up until then been nearly forgotten. He sat on the corner of the porch, his knees bent to his chest and his tiny hands resting on top of them as he started off in the direction that Kagome and Hoshi had left earlier that afternoon.

"Shippou-chan?" Sango asked softly, scooting closer to the hybrid, who had only in the last couple of minutes returned to his demon form, and resting a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look up at her, his face sad, and she gave him a reassuring smile. "They'll be back soon, I'm sure…"

The boy nodded in agreement, but he still looked depressed. "I'll miss them," he admitted, "It won't be the same without Hoshi and Kagome around."

"Feh, it doesn't matter." Inuyasha snapped, returning to the porch with a wooden canteen in one hand, "If anything it'll be more peaceful without them around, especially Kagome."

Sango and Miroku exchanged a glance, their expressions revealing disbelief, but neither said a word. Shippou on the other hand was not so quiet, and he leapt to his feet, turning on Inuyasha with one tiny fist shaking in the air.

"How can you say that after everything she's done for us?" The boy demanded incredulously. When he didn't get a response he huffed and turned away, his tiny arms folded across his chest and his expression changing into a scowl. "I bet you're lying," he said, "You probably miss her most out of everybody that's here. Especially because the two of you were together…"

That got his attention, the fox hybrid noticed as he caught sight of Inuyasha's red face out of the corner of his eye. He looked angry for some reason, no, scratch that, he looked furious.

"W…w…what did you say!" Inuyasha snapped, towering over the youngster and reaching for his furry tail. Luckily the boy was able to scramble out of the way before Inuyasha could grab him. "What would make you think…" Inuyasha breathed, nostrils flaring as he made another failed attempt to snatch the boy up, "Kagome and I…would be…like…that…"

"But if you weren't then you wouldn't have been hugging her, right?" Shippou asked from the safety, or so he thought, of Miroku's arms. He yelped as the swordsman charged at him, despite where he sat, and then dove for Sango.

"You were hugging her?" Miroku asked, temporarily saving the youth from Inuyasha's rage by instead letting himself become the focus of attention. He smiled genuinely at Inuyasha. "I'm proud of you, Inuyasha!" he said, smacking the man on the shoulders, "Here I thought Kagome was one who would never settle down! Who knew that the two of you would end up together!"

"We're NOT together!" Inuyasha howled.

"You're not?" Sango asked, raising a brow at the red cloaked swordsman curiously.

"NO!" Inuyasha howled, wheeling around to face her next. "We never were! We never will be!"

Sango raised a hand to her mouth, trying her best to hide her smile. "Sorry, sorry…" she said breezily, "I know you're not I just wanted to see the look on your face…"

"You…you…" Inuyasha sputtered for a few minutes, speechless as he watched Sango and Miroku share a laugh at his expense. "Shut up!" He snapped at them finally, before turning and stomping back through the door. He found the futon in a corner and unrolled it, still fuming as he lay down and rested Tessaiga beside him.

He hadn't meant to hug Kagome. Ok, that was a lie, but he hadn't done it because they were together for god's sake! He'd hugged her to get her to shut up and stop worrying and stop pretending she wasn't worrying. On top of that he had dragged himself, injured as he was, deep into the forest to where she was creating her own little catastrophe. It hadn't been easy, and when he had finally not been able to support himself any longer she had been the closest solid structure he could lean on.

'_Stupid Miroku, making a big deal out of nothing, and Sango isn't any better.'_ He thought bitterly, rolling onto one side so that he was facing the wall. Unwillingly, his thoughts drifted back to a week ago, when he had hugged Kagome. _'I guess…it did feel kind of nice to hold he like that…'_ he thought, narrowing his eyes on the wall beside him as he remembered the way she had relaxed in his arms. _'She seemed to be ok with it.'_

A moment passed before Inuyasha's eyes snapped open wide, his cheeks burning a brilliant shade of red as he sat up quickly, "What in the hell am I thinking!" he asked himself, staring down at his hands in horror. "There's no way," he continued, although this time he spoke much more quietly, mindful of the fact that Miroku and Sango were only a handful of feet and one thin, wooden wall away. "There's no way I could have actually…that she would want to…"

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha stiffened, and then took a deep breath before turning to face the owner of the voice that had come from behind him. His eyes grew wide as he was faced with a pair of very familiar blue eyes staring down at him. "Kagome…" he started uncertainly, "what are you…?"

The wolf hybrid stared down at him from where she stood. She then bent her knees until she was crouching beside him, her expression depressed as she met his gaze. "I thought you would miss me," she began uncertainly, "I thought we were friends…"

"I…I…well…that is…" Inuyasha sputtered, quickly averting his gaze to the floor as he searched fruitlessly for the correct words. He paused however when he caught sight of the fluffy brown fox tail swishing back and forth behind Kagome's legs. He saw red as he glared back up at the imposter crouching above him, "Shippou," he snarled, making a grab for the youngster, who quickly abandoned his transformation and made an attempt to run for the door, "you little brat! Get back here!"

Miroku walked in a second later, catching the young fox and lifting the boy into his arms as he made his way closer. He sighed as he settled down in front of Inuyasha, ignoring the man's bloodthirsty glare and the way Shippou shivered in his grasp. "Inuyasha," he said, "it's obvious that you miss her."

Inuyasha scoffed, but didn't deny it. "What do you want, you perverted hunter?"

Miroku remained silent for a moment, glancing over one shoulder briefly as Sango too stepped into the hut and came to sit beside him, before returning his gaze to the resting swordsman in front of him. Inuyasha raised one thick black brow at the pair as he realized that, whatever it was they were visiting him for, it was serious.

"What's wrong now?" he grunted in annoyance as he shifted into a cross-legged position, leaning back against the wall behind him and folding his arms beneath his large sleeves. "Don't tell me one of you is backing out. If you think I'm going to let you have another day of rest you're both wrong…"

Miroku shook his head, "that's not it." He explained, "But we do need to discuss where things will go from here."

Inuyasha blinked, staring at the hunter in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Kagome-sama agreed to protect the jewel without signing the agreement." Miroku pointed out, "She also seemed confident that the Sesshoumaru-sama and Mikio-sama would do the same, however…"

"What?" Inuyasha probed, becoming annoyed with the hunter's reluctance to make his point. "Get on with it already."

"Is that enough?" Miroku asked finally, "I'll admit that I've never been to your village, and I don't know anyone from there aside from yourself and Kohaku, however," he exchanged a look with Sango before continuing, "we've already witnessed Naraku's strength twice. We have to take every measure possible to keep him from growing more powerful, and I don't doubt that once he has gathered the three treasures he will be interested in the jewel in order to do just that. Are you willing to put your people in that kind of danger?"

"You're suggesting moving the Shikon no Tama, is that it?" Inuyasha scoffed, "it's perfectly safe where it is now. It's never been removed from the village since it arrived." He then lay back on the futon, rolling over to face the wall once again. He could already feel the unwelcome memories surfacing due to their topic of conversation, and he wasn't at all in the mood to deal with them. _'The jewel was stolen once,'_ he admitted, glaring at the wall as he listened to the sounds of Sango and Miroku obediently leaving the room. _'But that hardly counts, I was the one who stole it, not some demon bent on getting more power…' _

…

'_We made it.' _Kagome thought, her eyes reflecting the mountains standing tall and proud before her. It wasn't as if she had doubted they would, but the feeling of impending doom was becoming stronger within her with each step that she took. Now that she had arrived at the main packs rendezvous site, there were only a handful of things left to take care of before she would leave again, and next time she would be heading for the northern kingdom.

'_Being here reminds me of all the things I hoped to leave behind when I took off three years ago…'_ she thought uneasily. _'My mother, the rest of the pack…Koga…'_

She hesitated a moment at the base of the mountain, turning to look over her shoulder at the rest of the pack. Since they had left Inuyasha and the others behind earlier that afternoon Kagome and her pack mates had been traveling nonstop to reach their destination as soon as possible. To their credit, none of the wolves looked even the slightest bit winded even though they had traveled nearly the entire length of Japan without a single break.

"Kagome?" Jun asked as he stepped up beside her, his golden eyes curious. "Is there something wrong?"

Jun was the younger brother to Toshiko and the youngest of the seven wolves. He had also been the last to join the pack, having come a handful of months after his older sister did. His hair was short and sandy brown, matching the color of his tail and he had pointed ears, claws and fangs much like most of his fellow pack mates. He wore clothes similar to his sister; the same gray furs wrapped around his shoulders and fell over his back like a cape. They also covered his waist and wrapped around his lower legs and arms. Covering his chest was similar black and red armor to what his older sibling had.

"Nothing's wrong, Jun," Kagome reassured him with a lie, turning around completely to face the pack as a whole. "Listen up," she barked, "you're all free to do as you please unless I call for you, but there isn't any definite time that we'll be leaving so all of you should check in from time to time anyway."

Most of the wolves seemed satisfied by this and drifted off. Toshiko and Jun took off at a run, racing each other up the mountain, both eager to meet with the pack mates they hadn't seen in quite some time. Hitoshi, the oldest member of the pack but still far from being considered elderly for a demon, trailed after them. Satoshi spared his half demon leader a worried look as he passed her, but she waved off his concern and watched as he too trotted up the mountain. Momo hesitated, most likely only because Kazuo, who was her mate, had stubbornly refused to leave Kagome's side just yet.

Of everyone Kagome had ever known, family, friends or otherwise, no one understood her quite like Kazuo did. It wasn't surprising of course, considering that the two of them were the same, both half gods and outcasts from both demon and human societies. They had grown up together, and shared a strong, unbreakable bond with one another practically since the day they'd met. When they had been much younger they had often spent their time together sharing their dreams and secrets and finding support in one another when they couldn't find it anywhere else.

"Kagome," Kazuo said with a sigh. His hands found her shoulders and he spent a moment attempting to massage the tension out of them. "You're not really ok, are you?" he asked, but he didn't really need an answer because he already knew. "Don't lie." He added, as if sensing her next words.

Kagome scowled up at him, batting his hands away with one of her own and regretting it the second she could no longer feel his comforting touch. "Idiot," she muttered, "as if I could lie to you anyway."

The corners of his lips twitched upwards slightly, but it didn't last more than a second. "Would you like me to come with you?" he asked, taking a step back and folding his arms loosely across his chest. "I know the elder hasn't always been a pleasant person for you to be around."

"Thanks but no thanks, Kazuo," Kagome said, turning away from him to face a pair of gray wolves, neither with a drop of demon blood inside them, who were waiting patiently to be noticed. _'He sent me guides, did he?'_ she thought, and then her mind drifted back to Kazuo's words. _'He's right. Senpai is always a pain for me to be around, but that just makes it more important that I go alone. Besides, it's not like any of the wolves here, aside from my own pack mates, have ever liked me…'_

She looked back over her shoulder at Kazuo, Momo and Hoshi. They were all watching her carefully. "It won't take long anyway," she said in an effort to reassure them, "it never does when he's concerned."

Kazuo sighed, but didn't protest. "Do what you want then."

"We'll be waiting for you when you're finished, Kagome-chan," Momo said with a smile.

Kagome nodded and then followed obediently after the pair of wolves as they lead her away from her pack mates. It wasn't as if she couldn't sniff out the elder on her own, but she had to admit it was much easier this way. They ran for a handful of minutes, taking her straight up the side of the mountain with ease before they reached a heavily forested area. The wolves paused there, and then looked back at Kagome with expecting eyes.

'_Go through there, huh?' _The hybrid thought, shrugging her shoulders and then ducking through the low hanging branches into a narrow tunnel that had been created through the thick foliage. She came out on the other side a second later, stepping out onto the edge of a cliff, where she spotted the elder.

He sat with his back to her, his thick gray coat of fur glowing in what little sunlight remained. He was looking over the edge of the cliff, where Kagome knew he could see the rest of the pack as they rested and played in the valley. One ear twitched, and then she saw him scent the air before he turned his head slightly to acknowledge her.

"_**You have finally arrived, Kagome-sama…" **_

Kagome nodded. "Yeah…Senpai…"

…

_AN: Aha, ha…I actually didn't mean to leave a cliffhanger there like that. Sorry. 0:) This chapter was actually going to be a lot shorter, see that time skip up there? It was going to end there but I decided to give you guys more and keep writing, that's part of what took me so long to update. :/ Even with that it's shorter then it usually is. -_- _

_**Preview for chapter 19: The Fake God**_

"_Where is she going?" Jun asked, following the female hybrid with his eyes as she disappeared into the forest. "Should we follow her?" _

"_No." Kazuo replied firmly, glancing briefly in the direction of his departing cousin before gesturing for Jun to follow after him instead. He headed in the opposite direction Kagome had and waited for Jun to fall into step with him before giving the younger wolf an explanation. "She's in a bad mood. It would better to leave her alone now. Besides…she's going to see her father. I'm sure she wants her privacy for now." _

_Jun raised a skeptical brow, "isn't her father dead?" _

_Kazuo sighed. "Yes." _

_**Important note concerning previews:**__ In case some of you haven't noticed…all previews and chapter titles are subject to change due to suggestions from others, chapter splitting, etc. Hopefully that doesn't cause too many problems for any of you. :3 _

_That's all for now…I hope you all enjoyed reading, and for those who did please leave a review (or comment as they're called now I guess) if you wouldn't mind. It sure makes this writer awfully happy when you do, you know. :)_

_K _


	19. Chapter 19

_AN: Hey look, an update! Finally, right? I really, honestly am sorry that I didn't have this up sooner but it was delayed for multiple reasons, including my muse giving me the silent treatment and a little thing called life getting in my way constantly. :( Yeah, I hate that too…_

_**One somewhat-important notice before you start reading**__…I've changed the format for demon talk from something that looks like this: __**"Blah"**__._

_To this: "Blah, blah". _

_Why? Because the bold…ness…was driving me crazy. Anyway, thought I'd point that out even though it isn't necessary. -_- Anyway, you can go on and read now (if you even bothered to look at this in the first place XD), and maybe, just maybe you'll be kind enough to review? :D _

_Fire-rat-mayhem__: Well here's your update, so you don't have to go Greek on me…whatever that means. O_o Thanks for reviewing anyway. XD _

_Soul Stealer:__ Thanks for the review, here's the update you've been waiting for. I hope you enjoy. :)_

…

**Chapter 19: Returning Home **

…

Rin giggled as she skipped down the beaten path leading away from the village and deeper into the forest. It hadn't been difficult to escape her so called babysitters, then again it never was.

'_I'll be back again before anyone even knows I'm gone,'_ she thought, slowing slightly and reaching her hands out to her sides to feel the softness of the leaves with her fingers as she passed. _'Aniki was the only one who ever paid enough attention to keep me from running off. It's because he is so protective over everyone that's close to him…and because of what happened with Akane…' _

'_I wonder what he's doing now.' _She went on, barely taking any note of where her feet carried her as she became buried in her own thoughts. Her arms fell back to her sides and she stopped as her gaze fell to the forest floor. "Aniki…" she whispered, "I miss you. I want to see you again."

Rin sighed heavily. She could wish for it, but she knew it would be at least another month before her older brother returned to the village, and then he would be gone again in the blink of an eye. He'd left the village before, but never for more than a handful of days, and it hadn't taken her very long to decide that she didn't like his prolonged absence.

A few more moments passed before the young girl pulled herself from her unusually depressing thoughts, choosing to reassure herself instead that Inuyasha would be back soon, safe and sound just the way he had been when he'd left. She reached out to one side, brushing a handful of golden flower petals that she had stopped beside before continuing down the path.

She didn't get very far when she paused again, this time to listen carefully to the faint sound of footsteps as they grew closer. _'It sounds like a horse…'_ she thought, narrowing her eyes in thought, _'but no one has left the village recently. Could it be a visitor or a traveling samurai?' _

As the footsteps grew closer Rin stepped behind the nearest tree, waiting for the unexpected stranger to come into view. A few moments later he appeared in her vision and her jaw dropped slightly at the sight of him. She didn't recognize the horse, but the young man who rode him, even slumped over in the saddle the way he was, could be easily recognized as Kohaku.

"Kohaku-kun!" she shouted, leaping out in front of the oncoming horse without thinking, her arms spread out to either side. The horse jumped, but recovered quickly in order to give the young girl a sniff. Thankfully, even in his barely conscious state, Kohaku managed to keep his seat.

"Kohaku-kun…" Rin said again, not missing the way the weakened man had yet to notice her. She took the reins, effectively keeping the horse from continuing down the path on its own. "Kohaku-kun, what happened? Why are you here? Where are the others? Where's Aniki?"

Finally the man spared a glance down at her, his eyes glazed over. He was quiet for a moment as he took in the sight of her, then he spoke, and his voice was rough as if he hadn't used it in quite some time, "They're dead," he whispered.

…

Kagome shifted uncomfortably as the elder stood, backing away from the cliff's edge and then turning to face her. Slumped over the way he had been when she'd arrived he hadn't looked like much, however the way he was now, standing a handful of feet from her, he was massive. In fact, even crouching as he was now his head still rose above hers and he was forced to look down at her over his long muzzle. Still, he didn't seem nearly as big as he had the first time she'd met him, when she was only a pup.

His empty golden eyes bore into her and she felt her body grow rigid as he bared his teeth. She knew better then to think he would attempt to harm her, not that he could. Despite being a demon he was still old and his body creaked as he moved. It wouldn't be hard to out run him. She was however expecting a tongue lashing that would have rivaled those given to her by her own mother in earlier years.

"_You've finally decided to return,"_ he spoke after a long moment of silence, _"after running away like the coward you are, you might as well have just stayed under whatever rock you found and decided to climb under." _

Kagome bristled, biting her tongue to keep from speaking out of line. She may be the god of the northern lands by blood, but she had yet to defeat Koga and claim that title, therefore she was still considered his subordinate. A thing she had a feeling he both knew and relished in.

"_You pathetic little bag of fleas, if it weren't for your mother's decision to keep you we would have celebrated the day you ran off and left us. Instead we were left in chaos. We had to make excuses for your behavior and wait without knowing when or if you would return."_ He snapped at the air with his jaws, his sharp canines only missing her face by a handful of carefully measured inches. She had no doubt that he wished to tear her apart, slowly, with his very own fangs.

"_You stupid child, do you have any idea what we had to do in your absence? Do you know that your place has been taken by Koga? Do you realize that you have made me look like a fool in the eyes of my pack mates and in the eyes of the other gods, because I couldn't control the childish behavior of a measly half breed like you?" _

Kagome opened her mouth to defend herself, knowing it was useless but still willing to try. The elder stopped her however with a fierce snarl, his cold nose pressing against her forehead, his breath ruffling her bangs and the points of his canines barely touching her skin.

"_I'm not finish speaking, mutt."_ He ground out before pulling back.

"_I thought your mother should have had you drowned the moment you took your first breath, but she decided for some absurd reason to keep you alive. Then she only went further by making you the next in line to rule at the north. She could have picked Kikyou…despite your sister's decisions to kill…anything would have been better then you. I'd even be happy to have Koga remain where he is. It is only because we respect the wishes of your dead mother and because we are loyal to our blood, however small a sample, that I still wait for you to claim your throne."_

He licked his lips before continuing, _"And because of that I didn't have you hunted and killed three years ago for your disobedience if nothing else."_ The massive beast turned away from her, returning to the edge of the cliff where he'd sat when she'd arrived. _"You have challenged my patience more than any other wolf,"_ he went on, _"I had no respect for you to begin with, neither did any of the pack, now it'll only be a miracle if someone doesn't kill you in your sleep."_

Kagome sighed when it was apparent he was done speaking. Whether he knew it or not he had challenged her patience to the limit and back again. She generally didn't tolerate anyone saying such things to her, not without killing them soon after anyway.

'_I can't kill him though,'_ she thought, brow furrowing, _'it wouldn't get me very far, and I'll still need him to help convince the rest of the pack to listen to me when it's time to face Koga. Once I take care of things there I can give him a piece of my mind, but not until then.' _

"_Why are you still here half breed?" _

Kagome lifted her gaze to meet with the cold, hard eyes of the elder. He had turned to look at her again, his teeth bared in a threat should she not do as she was told. _"I have nothing more to say to you,"_ he bit out, _"get lost."___

Kagome turned to retreat from the clearing before her temper got the best of her, ducking down into the tunnel of foliage that she had climbed through. She passed the pair of wolves that had led her to the side of the cliff that now looked at her bright eyes and wagging tails. They didn't hold any of the harsh feelings towards her that the demons here did.

"Whatever," she grouched as she brushed past their friendly greetings and took off down the side of the mountain. _'I need to go somewhere,'_ she thought, _'somewhere that I can think and no one will bother me…and I know just the spot…' _

"Kagome?"

She slid to a stop at the familiar sound of Kazuo's voice. He wasn't far from where she'd left him, leaning casually against a tree with his arms folded and a genuinely concerned look on his face. She should have known that he wouldn't let her leave without seeing him first.

"Hey Kazuo," she began, taking note that Jun was standing beside him, and the rest of her pack watched from a distance, still in ear shot. She scowled, images of a peaceful, albeit brief, conversation with her cousin fleeing from her mind. She was close to all of her pack mates, closer to them then to anyone else, but Kazuo was family and the one she trusted the most.

"I'm leaving for a while," she told him, continuing with an amused twitch of her lips, although it only lasted a second, when she saw his frown deepen. "I'll come back this time, I promise," she went on, "I just need to think."

Kazuo nodded. He understood without her having to explain anything. He always understood.

Kagome gave him an appreciative grin and then returned to face the direction she had originally been planning, taking a handful of steps before breaking into a run. Kazuo watched her go through half lid eyes for a moment, than sighed, allowing his shoulders to slump and his arms to drop to his sides. He turned towards his other pack mates.

"Where is she going?" Jun asked, following the female hybrid with his eyes as she disappeared into the forest. "Should we follow her?"

"No." Kazuo replied firmly, glancing again briefly in the direction of his departing cousin before gesturing for Jun to follow after him instead. He headed in the opposite direction Kagome had and waited for Jun to fall into step with him before giving the younger wolf an explanation. "She's in a bad mood. It would better to leave her alone now. Besides…she's going to see her father. I'm sure she wants her privacy."

Jun raised a skeptical brow, "isn't her father dead?"

Kazuo nodded. "Yes."

…

Kagome didn't slow down until she reached the edge of the field, taking in the acres of golden wheat that hid her destination from view. "This part hasn't changed a bit…" she muttered to herself, her arms unconsciously reaching forward to part the tall plants in front of her and step through.

Each step became more difficult as she grew closer to the village that she knew was waiting for her on the other side of the field. Something inside her cried for her to turn around, but her legs kept carrying her forward as if they had a will of their own.

'_Why did I come here?'_ She asked herself, _'this was a horrible idea…I haven't been here in so long…'_

She was nearing the opposite end of the field when a blur caught her attention. Something, moving too fast to be a human, darted out from beneath her running in the same direction she was traveling. She growled and reached forward to grab the creature that had passed her when she realized it was a child. A child with black hair sweeping just past their shoulders, wolf ears perched atop their head and a fuzzy tail sweeping out behind them.

Kagome swallowed hard as she recognized the little girl, barely noticing the way her hand had gone through the child's back instead of grabbing a hold of her clothes like Kagome had planned. "It's…me…" she whispered and she felt her stomach twist as she retracted her hand.

The girl was gone, having already disappeared into the tall plants that surrounded her. Kagome followed after her dutifully, despite the sinking feeling in her chest, and emerged a handful of strides later on the opposite side of the field.

Her younger self was gone, but in her place were the crowded streets of the village ahead. Logically Kagome knew better then to believe this was anything other than a vision. A memory of something she had seen many decades ago. After all, the village had been abandoned for nearly a hundred years.

Still her feet carried her forward through the streets and she did her best to ignore the children as they played under the feet of their watchful parents as well as the workers who weaved through the crowds carrying sacks of gathered food or lumber. None of them even bothered to look at her, but then again why should they? They were only a memory.

They looked happy. Far different then the way Kagome had seen them the last time she had set foot here. The half demon habitually stepped out of the way of a young boy as he ran towards her but a second later he passed right through her.

'_Just a memory,'_ she reminded herself, looking over one shoulder to follow the child as he ran. He disappeared, much the same way her younger self had, once he reached the edge of the village. As Kagome turned back around she suddenly found herself standing in the abandoned village that she had expected upon arrival.

The streets were bare. No human had set foot here in quite some time. The animals were all gone and the few huts that were still standing looked as if they may collapse at any moment. They were the only sign that, at one time, humans had lived here a flourished.

Kagome's eyes narrowed as she looked past the rundown streets of the village. On the opposite side, enclosed in a tiny fenced in yard, were about 20 grave stones, one of which she knew marked the resting place of her father.

"Father…" she whispered, the same uncontrollable urge to move forward taking a hold of her again and forcing her legs to carry her towards he graveyard. She reached the fence, which looked as neglected as the houses did, and leapt over it instead of bothering to go through the gate. She scanned the headstones briefly before she recognized the one that belonged to her father and moved towards it.

"Father…" she said again, a bit louder this time. She sighed heavily as she dropped down in front of the grave, her head bowed and her eyes closed tightly. "I'm sorry that I haven't come to visit recently…"

A soft breeze blew against her face, ruffling her bangs. The corners of her lips twitched upwards and she managed a smile, but it was gone faster than it had appeared as unbidden memories of him began to surface.

…

"_I told you already," the disgruntled voice of a child spoke, "I don't want to practice today. I've had enough." _

"_Kagome-chan, really…" another, older voice, the voice of reason, spoke up, "you have to try." _

"_I did try." Kagome retorted sourly. "I tried a hundred times already, Hoshi." _

"_More like five…" the fairy muttered under her breath._

"_I heard that," the young hybrid snapped, glaring at the fairy in front of her. "These ears aren't just for decoration you know."_

_They were in the middle of another of her mother's planned training sessions. This time Hoshi was teaching, or rather attempting to teach Kagome how to play with fire. Hoshi didn't have the same abilities to create and manipulate fire that Kagome and Kikyou had inherited from Misako, but she knew how to use magic and that meant she could teach Kagome. At least that was how her mother has explained it. _

'Could be worse,' _Kagome thought was a scowl; _'She could have had Kikyou teach me. Then I'd end up being target practice. At least I can get away with not paying attention when Hoshi is here.'

"_Try a hundred more times then," Hoshi said, her words earning another, fiercer scowl from the hybrid pup. "I know you're sick of training, Kagome-chan. You've told me. But it really is for your own good." She went on, "because of who you are…" _

"_I know, I know," Kagome sneered, "because I'm _just_ a half demon I have to work extra hard to be as strong as the others, right?"_

"_I wasn't going to say it like that..."_

"_But that's the way mother always says it." Kagome pointed out, folding her arms and falling backwards until she landed on her bottom on the hard ground behind her. "What's wrong with just being strong the way I am now? I'm strong enough just being me aren't I? I'm sick of having to train day after day, all day long. It's boring." _

_She saw the way Hoshi's shoulders sunk in defeat and smiled hopefully up at her, but before the fairy could grace her with a response their attention was directed towards the trees behind them. A twig snapped and Kagome's ears flicked backwards, her whole body suddenly on alert. She sniffed the air, expecting to pick up the fowl scent of a demon who had dared to creep up on them. Instead she picked up a much more welcome aroma. _

"_Father!" she shouted, leaping to her feet and turning just in time to see a young man, perhaps in his late twenties, step out from behind a large tree. He smiled warmly at the hybrid girl, opening his arms to her, "you heard me, did you?" _

"_You came!" Kagome cried in joy, running to him and clinging to his clothes as he scooped her up. She sighed contentedly and she buried her nose in his chest, breathing in his pleasant scent. "I'm glad." _

_Her father chucked, holding her tightly to him. "Of course I did," he whispered, "I can't stay away from my little girl for too long, you know." His attention turned a second later to Hoshi, who returned his smile with one of her own. "Hoshi," he said, greeting the fairy with a nod. _

"_Welcome back, Hiroshi-sama." She said, "I take it the demon rampaging in that village didn't cause as much trouble as you thought it might. You're back sooner than we expected." _

_Hiroshi sighed, "The villagers were exaggerating a bit." He admitted, "It was a simple centipede demon, nothing dangerous at all." _

_Hoshi chucked, then waved the pair off and turned to leave, "alright then," she said, "I'll let Misako-sama know you're here. Although I'm sure she's realized it already." _

"_Thank you, Hoshi," the man said, then turned to look back down at his half demon daughter. "Have you been having fun with your training?" _

_Kagome rolled her eyes, leaning back in his arms so she could look up at him. His brown eyes were warm and kind, the same way they always were. His hair was thick and black, pulled away from his face in a ponytail that hung at his shoulders. He wore the same heavy armor that he always did when he visited her after a battle and she knew every possible place on his body had a weapon hidden somewhere beneath his clothes. Only the sword which was strapped diagonally across his back was visible to those who didn't know him. _

"_I don't really like training…" she admitted, "but mother never lets up. She always says, get stronger or get faster or train more with your fire magic or something like that…I don't know why I even bother because nothing I ever do will be good enough for her." _

_Hiroshi smiled down at his daughter sadly, "Someday you'll understand, Kagome."_

_Kagome blinked, cocking her head to one side in confusion. "Understand what, father?" _

_Her father only shook his head, reaching out with one hand to tap her playfully on the nose. "I'm afraid I can't tell you," he explained, "it's something you'll have to find out for yourself." _

_Kagome's eyes narrowed and then she leaned into his chest again. "That's stupid." _

_She felt his chest shake as he laughed, then he shifted beneath her, reaching one hand into his pocket and lifting a small blue flower into her line of sight. She lifted her head and reached for it without a word but he held it just outside her grasp. _

"_What is it?" She asked impatiently. _

"_These flowers grow in the fields where I visited," he explained, reaching out to plant it in her hair, near where her right ear would have been had she been human. "It matches your eyes…" _

"_You think so?" She asked, glancing at soft blue petals out of the corner of her eye before grinning back at him. "It's beautiful. I love it." she told him, then hesitated a moment before asking, "Can I come with you next time so I can see the flowers?" _

_She already knew the answer that was coming. Each time she asked him if she could come with him when he went to work or visit his people he would wince and then turn away before changing the subject to something else. "I'm sorry, Kagome," he said, turning away from her in a useless attempt to hide the pain in his eyes. _

"_Why?" She probed before he could move on to another topic. "Why can't I come with you? You always visit me here…" _

_He only shook his head, one hand resting against the back of her neck and pushing her forward until her face was buried in his shoulder. "You just can't," he told her, "I'm sorry. You'll understand someday, Kagome." _

…

Kagome's frown deepened as she remembered those words clearly. She hadn't understood the things he had been trying to keep from her back then. Back then she was only a pup, younger even then Shippou.

Now she knew and she wished she didn't.

Her eyes drifting to his name, etched roughly in the stone by her own claws, and she reached out to trace each character with one finger. "Why did it have to end the way it did?" she asked no one in particular, "if I had listened…you wouldn't have died so soon…"

…

_Kagome watched carefully as one of the young human men from her father's village ladled warm soup into a bowl for her. It wasn't very often that anyone shared food with her. In fact, since she was old enough to hunt on her own no one had even bothered. Not even her mother. But she wasn't used to the way humans communicated and bonded with one another either. Aside from her father, she had never talked with or even gotten within one hundred feet of a human. Not really anyway, no one could count the times that she'd spent with her cousin Kazuo during the times when his demon blood left him. _

'Father did tell me once that the way things happen in a human village are different.' _The little hybrid narrowed her eyes in thought, _'is that why he never wanted me to come here with him?'

_The man wordlessly handed Kagome the bowl once it had been filled and she noticed the way that he jerked his hand back quickly when she took it from him, accidently brushing his skin with a claw. She cocked her head slightly to one side, but didn't comment on it. Instead she took a sip of the warm liquid, sighing contentedly as it filled her empty stomach. _

"_Thank you," Kagome whispered, fighting to keep the warm, pink blush from rising on her cheeks. _

"_Of course," one of the huts three occupants said his face void of emotion as he watched her. "Now tell us, how do you know Hiroshi-san?" _

_The half demon frowned, peeking up at him. His eyes were a dark shade of brown, just like her fathers, although not nearly as kind. His hair was dark brown with a few streaks of gray and pulled up into a bun on the top of his head. His clothes also resembled her father's garb, or at least what he normally wore around her, she realized. Samurai armor covered his shoulders, chest and waist, and his legs and arms were protected by thick leather. She could only spot a few places where red cloth poked out. _

'They don't even know me?' _Kagome asked herself, _'has father never told them anything of his family?'

_She thought this over for a minute. The villagers clearly hadn't expected to see her, they had been afraid and hostile, but that was to be expected. She hadn't told anyone she was coming, not even her father. She hadn't thought it necessary since she hadn't ever planned on traveling past the golden wheat fields outside the village. She'd come that far before and never been spotted, even though both of her parents ordered her not to. She enjoyed watching the people that her father lived with go about their lives. _

'They were pretty shocked when I said I was looking for Hiroshi-san.'_ She thought, answering her own question and returning her gaze to the bowl in her hands, somewhat disappointed by her new realization. _'Why hasn't he told them about me?'

"_He is my father," she answered quietly, curiosity causing her eyes to flicker back to the three men sitting around her when she heard the telltale signs of panic in their breathing patterns and quickened heartbeats. The man who looked and smelled similar to her father looked angry. His face grew red and he clenched his jaw, but he masked it quickly and turned to the two men beside him. _

"_Both of you go and find Hiroshi…tell him that he has a guest…" _

_Kagome watched as the two younger men got to their feet and practically ran for the door. She frowned and then her eyes fell back on the one she had been left with. Her gut was telling her to run, but she fought the urges off fiercely. _

'I want to see father.' _She reminded herself firmly, and instead of allowing her urges to take control, she attempted to make conversation with the older man in front of her. "How do you know him?" _

_The man had by now stood and was facing the door. One hand was clutching the sword at his hip as if it was a life line. "I am his uncle." He replied shortly. _

_Kagome nodded in understanding, although she knew the man didn't see her. She opened her mouth to speak again but instead of words a pain filled moan rose from her throat and she bent over, clutching her chest. Her head hurt, her whole body hurt and she suddenly felt very dizzy. She managed to set to the soup bowl, still three quarters of the way full, down on the wooden floor without breaking it despite the way the world was spinning around her. _

"_That took much longer than I expected," her father's uncle spoke up, "you must have quite strong blood to be able to resist the poison for so long…" _

_Her head snapped up, her eyes wide as they landed on the man in front of her. He had turned away from the door and was now staring down at her, his blade drawn. "Did you know, young half breed, that your father is from a line of well-respected demon hunters?" he asked, "we specialize in trapping and killing monsters just like you. That scentless poison that we dropped in your soup is also a specialty of ours." _

_Kagome winced as another wave of pain hit her, "why? Why would you…"_

_He didn't get a chance to answer her question. Kagome's father appeared in the doorway, and she had just enough energy to lift her head and acknowledge him. He was fighting off several of the other village men, including the two that had been in the hut with her earlier. His face was pale and he looked as if he wasn't sure whether to be angry or scared. _

_His mouth moved, but she couldn't hear the words past the roaring in her ears. Fortunately she could read his lips and understand his hurried gestures well enough to understand that he wanted her to run. _

_She blurrily looked back at the man in front of her, her great uncle. He had raised his blade high above his head with both hands, and the point was aimed at her. She didn't need any more incentive then that. Adrenaline kicked in and she leapt for the door, dodging the hands that tried to grab her and running as fast as her legs could carry her. _

…

Kagome blinked several times to clear her vision. She still sat in the tiny graveyard, staring down at the crudely marked stone that was her father's resting place. She could see clearly again, but the memories of that night had yet to subside.

She unconsciously lifted one hand to wipe at her eyes, expecting to feel the dampness of tears on her fingers, but there were none. Her body still ached from the poison, even though her bloodstream was free of any toxins. She could also still feel the warmth of human blood on her claws. Blood that she had shed as she fought her way to freedom again and again after each time one of the angry villagers had managed to grab her.

'_That was the first time I ever had a human's blood on my claws. That was when I realized how weak their bodies were compared to that of a demon…or a half demon like me… '_ she thought, her gaze falling to her hands, now resting palm up in her lap.

In that moment she could see the red liquid coating her claws and she flinched from the shock, baring her teeth and shoving both hands in between her legs. The rational side of her mind understood that her hands were clean, but it hadn't kept the vision, however short of a time it had lasted, from bringing on a fresh wave of painful thoughts and memories to the surface.

'_She killed them…but she's only a child…'_

'_Even the children are dangerous. They are not to be trusted and they are killers from the moment they breathe air.' _

'_That bastard, Hiroshi, he'll pay for bringing this thing into existence. I'll make sure of it.' _

Kagome shivered at the sounds of their voices, as clear as if they were standing right beside her. If she had been brave enough, strong enough, she could have gone back and protected her father despite his wishes for her to escape. Instead she had collapsed in exhaustion once she reached the field outside the village, hidden from her attackers in the wheat, and waited for someone to find her. It hadn't really mattered who back then. In fact, at the time she would have preferred a hungry demon to come and devour her then to go on living, knowing that it had been her that had caused her father's death.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, pressing her hand against the cool soil that covered him. "I miss you, father…"

Kagome forced herself to stand, brushing her clothes off and taking one last look at her father's grave stone. Her hands still burned with the heat of human blood and she stuffed them in her pockets in a desperate attempt to feel anything else, although she knew it was useless. The memories and physical feelings from that night would eventually sink back into the dark corners of her mind, but they would only lie in waiting for the perfect opportunity to rise again. They would never leave her for good.

'_Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come here,'_ she thought, _'but it got my mind off everything in the north for a short time at least.'_ She sighed, turning to leave, but as she turned she caught a movement out of the corner of one eye and froze. _'A demon?'_ she thought, scenting the air. Her eyes widened, _'no… a human…' _

Her senses zeroed in on where she had caught sight of the spy, eyes narrowing sharply as she caught sight of another shift from behind one of the huts. 'Stupid, should have been paying more attention,' she scolded herself, glancing back at the graves for a brief second. Then she moved with the silence and speed of a predator, darting across the abandoned ground and disappearing into the branches of a single tree that grew near the edge of the village.

She waited there patiently for the human, whoever he was, to show himself. She could hear the quickened beat of his heart and smell sweat on his skin. It was obvious that he had already seen her, but perhaps if she waited long enough she could fool him into thinking she'd left.

As if on cue, a young boy crawled out from behind the rundown structure, looking both ways nervously as if expecting to be attacked. He looked to be about eight years old, far too young to be traveling on his own. His hair was short and black and his eyes were brown. His clothing, an orange haori with two thick, blue, horizontal stripes across his right shoulder and gray hakama, were torn in several places and smeared with dirt. The rest of him didn't look much better. Cuts and scrapes littered the palms of his hands and his face and dirt was smeared across both of his cheeks.

He remained standing near the edge of the hut, shaking in fear. A few moments passed before he swallowed hard and stepped onto the main road, wandering towards the graveyard where Kagome had been.

Kagome watched him as he hesitated next to the fence, looking at the number of grave markers within the yard and swallowing again. She snorted in disbelief. _'He couldn't possibly have come here looking for help, could he?' _she asked herself, _'this village wasn't just abandoned recently. No one has lived here for many years.' _

She glanced at the boy one more time before turned to leave again. Whatever he had come here for it wasn't any business of hers. She had more important things to take care of anyway. She turned away and prepared to jump, but the sound of the youth's tiny voice made her pause.

"P…please…"

She looked back at him. Now he was inside the fenced in yard on his hands and knees, head bowed and fists buried in the soft earth. "Please…help me," he whimpered, his voice barely audible even to the ears of a wolf hybrid at first, "my family…my village…they'll all die if I don't get help!" he cried, louder this time, "please!"

'_Begging for help from the dead won't get you anywhere, kid.' _Kagome thought as she watched him sadly, pinning her ears at the sound of his sobs. _'I can't just leave without helping him.'_ She frowned as another thought came to her, _'although I doubt he'd even accept my help if I offered it…' _

She shrugged her shoulders, leaping from the branches and quietly approaching the sobbing child. Whether he accepted her help or not didn't matter. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't try.

He wasn't paying nearly enough attention now to notice her approach, not that she expected him to. He was too busy crying into his dirty hands to hear anything anyway. She paused once she reached him, standing a handful of feet behind him and staring down at the grave, her father's grave, which he sat directly in front of.

"Hey…"

The boy nearly leapt out of his skin at the sound of her voice, scrambling forward until he could grab onto the first stone marker that he'd come too before looking over his shoulder at he. His eyes grew wider still when he recognized her.

"Please don't hurt me!" He shouted, cowering beside the stone as he stared up at her. "I just came to find help for my people! I just need help!"

Kagome sighed, crouching down beside him and stuffing both hands back in her pockets in attempt to not look as dangerous. She glanced back and forth at the rows of grave before he eyes landed back on the youngster. "You came to the wrong place to find help for your village, kid," she pointed out, "this village has been abandoned for a while."

He stared at her for a moment, shocked into silence by her words. Or maybe it was because she had decided to talk to him instead of ripping him to shreds like he'd expected. After a few minutes of silence between the two he spoke in a tiny, fear filled voice, "I…I was told that this village was home to a number of great demon hunters…"

"That was true once." She explained, "But they've been gone for many years. It sounds like your source is outdated."

"Where are they now?" The boy continued, undeterred by the news and getting braver by the second, "I have to find them."

Kagome stared at him in disbelief. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked, "They're all dead."

"That can't be true!" He shouted, shocking the hybrid into silence with his sudden outburst. He climbed to his feet, moving away from the grave beside him and staring her in the eyes desperately. "They have to be alive! There has to be someone that can help me! My family is in danger! If I don't bring someone back…" his words drifted off and very suddenly his face crumpled and he fell to his knees, slamming his fists down in the soil in frustration.

"If I don't come back with help…" he whimpered, "everyone will…will…"

"Say, kid," she started, "what is it that's the problem anyway?"

He sniffed once or twice, wiping at his damp eyes before giving her an explanation. "My village is right near a mountain and the demon there…he calls himself the god of fire…" he said, "for a while everything was ok but in the last couple weeks he's been attacking the village. He does it whenever he feels like it, he takes the women and he devours the livestock, and he says if we try to run then he'll just kill us all."

Kagome watched as the boy dissolved into another wave of tears, one eyebrow twitching in annoyance at his constant crying. _'A fire god, huh?'_ she thought to herself, _'Sounds easy. He's probably not a real god, just some mindless monster that wants to sound better then he is…' _

"Hey kid," she began again, touching his shoulder to gain his attention and frowning at the way he recoiled from her touch. He may be having a conversation with her now, but she doubted he would be if she wasn't in the way of his escape route.

"Relax already," she ordered, "I'm not going to hurt you."

He looked extremely doubtful of her words, but at least he was looking at her. He spoke again quietly when she gave him the chance, "Do…do you know of any villages nearby?"

"How desperate are you for help?" she asked him instead.

Worry flashed across his features for a brief moment before it was replaced with determination. "My family and the rest of the village people need help," he told her, "I'll do anything. Please tell me where I can find someone…I'm begging you…" he said, placing both hands in the dirt in front of him and bowing his head until his forehead rested on his wrists.

Kagome scowled, quickly climbing to her feet. "Don't do that!" she snapped at him, "you look stupid bowing to someone like me," with a huff she folded her arms across her chest and turned away from him. "I'll help you."

He lifted his head, eyes wide and jaw gaping slightly as he stared up at her. "You…" he started uncertainly, "can you?"

Kagome glared at him, "of course I can!"

He seemed to think this through for a moment, as if suddenly regretting his words. Then he sat up completely and reached into his robes, pulling out a white cloth which had been tied into a pouch with a piece of twine. He set it in the dirt in front of him, pushing it towards her.

"It's the money that I brought as an offering for the demon hunters," he explained at her questioning look, "I know it isn't much, but please take it."

Kagome shook her head, an amused smile crossing her lips for a brief moment. "You keep it," she told him, "I wouldn't have any use for that kind of thing anyway."

The youngster blinked a few times before returning the pouch to his robes. He didn't seem to understand her meaning, but he looked grateful that she had allowed him to keep the little money he had and was still willing to help.

"Uhm…" he began, looking up at her nervously as she scented the air around her, searching for the path from which the boy had come. "Who exactly are you?"

The question caught Kagome off guard enough that she stared down at him blankly for several moments of stunned silence. "My name is Kagome," she said finally, glancing back towards the grave directly behind the boy and narrowing her eyes sadly. She nodded towards the headstone, waiting until he followed her direction before continuing. "That's where my father is buried."

The child looked back and forth between the headstone and the demon in front of him, utterly confused. "But, um…you're a…" he started, his gaze falling to the ground as if he was afraid at first to say the next words out loud, "a demon."

"Half demon." she corrected, not bothering to explain to him that she was actually a half god. A real one, unlike what was likely the case with whatever creature had been wreaking havoc on his people.

"What's that mean?" He asked next, his face the picture of innocence as he stared back up at her, quite a contrast to the shocked expression on her face.

"It means…" she began uncertainly, "it means I'm half human…"

"Oh," he said, blinking a handful of times and then looking again between the grave stone behind him and Kagome. He smiled for the first time since she'd seen him before climbing to his feet and taking a hold of her sleeve in one hand. "My name's Souta."

…

_AN: What? You didn't actually think Kohaku was DEAD, did you? Although considering how beaten up he is, he might still end up that way, you'll just have to wait and see how that turns out. *evil smirk* _

_On another note, I had to do an itty bitty edit in chapter one to make it possible for me to put Souta in this chapter, kudos to whoever can find it (not that I suggest you try or anything)…or has a really good memory for insignificant details. XD_

_**Chapter 20: Awakening the Blade **_

"_Wait, hanyou-san," the elder miko called out to her, and for some reason Kagome hesitated, though only for a moment. The woman sighed and ignoring the protests of the villagers surrounding her she bent down to lay her bow on the ground. "I do not believe ye wish us any harm, hanyou-san." She said, standing again, "please, tell me why ye have come to our village." _

_Huh…_

_I wonder who that old miko is going to be…guess you guys will all just have to wait for the next chapter to find out! :D Not that it should be all that hard or anything. T_T_

_**LOOK HERE: IMPORTANT STUFF D:**_

_I've recently decided to start taking classes again and on top of that I'm still going to be working 2 jobs, so…I hate to break it to you but my updates are probably going to be even more rare then they have been in the past couple months. Sorry about that. :( I'll try to keep things as reasonable as possible as far as popping out new chapters but school and work come before play, hopefully you can all understand that. :) _

_In other news…hey, look! A cover that doesn't have my horse's nose in it! :D It still needs some work, I haven't ever really done anything with shading unless I have to so I need to play around with that a little bit and I'd like to squeeze Inuyasha in there too (or just make a new cover with him in it), but this is it for now. Obviously my style tends to lean a little bit more towards being realistic rather than animated but it actually varies between those two quite a bit depending on my mood and level of laziness. Anyway, I'd be happy to hear thoughts on it from anyone who might have them. XD _

_K_


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: **Hey look, it actually wasn't that long of a wait! :3 Two months? Come on, that's not bad…for me…

Well, Kaede is just down right annoying to wright about with her speech the way it is. I tried to make it as accurate as possible and did my best to keep her in-character, hopefully I pulled it off?

Happyface2107: Well I'm glad you like the story so much. I'm hoping school doesn't interfere too much with my writing ability because my updates are already pretty spread out but only time will tell, so far so good. Yes, I have been reading Glon Morski's story, it's pretty awesome. Anyway, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the next installment. :)

…

**Chapter 20: Awakening the Blade **

Without breaking speed, Kagome leapt from the treetops and landed a second later on the forest floor. Her feet rarely touched the ground as she flew quickly and silently through the forest, paying close attention to the scents the air carried past her nose. During the last minute or so of travel the scent of a human village had grown progressively stronger. It was the same village, she was sure, that Souta lived in.

Kagome had been surprised, to say the least, how far the boy had managed to come in search of help, and in just one night. _'He must have run nearly the whole way,' _she thought, glancing back at the bundle she carried on her back, _'and this forest is pretty dense. It wouldn't be easy to navigate even during the day. I guess that explains where all his scratches and cuts came from.' _

She sighed in annoyance. As irony would have it, she had left her healing cream with Inuyasha not long ago. Thankfully the boy's wounds weren't in any dire need of attention, at least not now. If they got infected, however, then that would be a different story.

'_That's why I have to get him back so that his people can take care of him,'_ she thought, frowning as the scent of blood and smoke mingled with that of the villagers, _'and I can take care of that demon…'_

Souta had been mostly quiet for the duration of their travel time. Once he had given her a general direction to start with Kagome had explained to him that she could follow his scent straight back to the village. It was a good thing to; because she had a feeling he wouldn't have known how to find his own home in the black of night anyway. He seemed to be recognizing things now however, if the way his tiny hands had suddenly tightened on her shoulders was anything to go by.

"We're close…" he whispered, sitting up a little taller on her back and looking ahead.

Kagome simply nodded, somehow finding the strength within her to move faster. She couldn't help but smirk slightly when the boy whimpered and ducked his head behind hers, trying to avoid the cold night air that whipped across his face and ruffled his bangs. He reminded her of Shippou. He was only a child and thus he was scared easily and still reliant on others for protection and care. Despite that, he was strong willed and brave and even when the cards were stacked against him he tried his hardest to be the adult that he shouldn't have to be.

He was also still very naive.

'_The second he realized that I was half human he didn't seem to have any trouble accepting me,' _she thought with a scowl, _'but there are good and evil of both worlds. That's something he should know and understand.'_

She spared a glance back at him. Now instead of sitting tall he was curled up on her back, his arms tucked underneath his chest and his face buried in the back of her neck. The anger washed away from her face and she sighed. It was rather cold for a human. Without hesitation she called on her fire magic, feeling her skin heat to an even higher temperature then what it usual for her and providing the boy with enough warmth to make him comfortable. Even the air surrounding the pair quickly lost its chill.

'_He didn't know what a half demon was either,'_ she reminded herself, returning to her thoughts once she was satisfied that Souta would stay warm. She frowned as her gaze fell to the ground, blurring beneath her feet from the speed of her run. _'Then again…how many people really know such a thing exists? Even after living a hundred or more years and traveling over most of Japan I've only ever met two besides myself, Shippou and Kazuo. Most of us die at an early age, if we even ever manage our first breath. When Kazuo's mom got pregnant a lot of people wanted to kill her for carrying such a thing, and they succeeded not long after he was born…and my father was killed for the same reasoning.'_

"Is something wrong?"

The hybrid glanced over her shoulder again to see Souta staring down at her. He was sitting up again; clearly comfortable to do so now that she had provided him with warmth. "What are you talking about?" she asked, eyes narrowing on him.

He shrugged, "your face looked sad suddenly." He pointed out, and then asked again, "So is something wrong?"

She pondered this for a brief moment before asking the question that was weighing the most on her mind. "Do you trust me to protect you?" She asked bluntly, "and to help your people?"

He looked surprised, but after only a second's hesitation he nodded. "Of course, because you said you would." Then he looked worried, "you…you will won't you?"

"Yes," Kagome answered quickly, easing the boy's fears. "But," she went on, "even though I'm a half demon you didn't seem too worried once I agreed…"

Souta looked thoughtful for a moment, than answered honestly just the way he had before. "Kaede-sama taught me to not judge people based on their blood and instead to recognize their actions as good or bad." He explained, "that's why I was worried at first…but I thought since you hadn't tried to hurt me yet, and you'd come to visit your father where he was buried, you must be a kind person."

Kagome stared at him, unblinking. Clearly she had mistaken him as a naïve child at first, but he was much smarter then she had originally imagined. _'It's not often that you find someone like that,' _she thought, silently returning her gaze to the path ahead, _'human, demon or otherwise. Who is this woman who taught him? His mother perhaps…?'_

She didn't have time to think any deeper. Seconds after their conversation ended, Kagome and Souta emerged from the thick forest into a valley. In the middle sat a tiny village, with only a handful of houses and barns. Beyond the village the hills got taller and steeper until the land turned from soft grass into hard, rough stone and towered above the houses on a single, rocky hill that stood much taller than some of the mountains Kagome had seen in her past, although she could only guess the true height of the massive structure. A heavy cloud of smoke surrounded the mountain, making it impossible to see much mast the base. Smoke, Kagome realized, that also heavily polluted the air in the valley, making it not only more difficult to see, but also harder to breathe.

Kagome only paused for a moment to take in the condition of the village before making her way across the valley that separated her from the cluster of homes. They all looked as if they needed attention. Some were worse than others and some, she noticed as she got closer, were no longer standing. Most of the wood was darkened with burn marks and the ground was blanketed in soot, making the earth seem as if it was covered in black sand.

'_It's obvious it is some kind of fire monster, like the kid said,' _Kagome thought, bending down to let Souta off and following after him as he ran towards the village, calling to his friends and family as he got closer. Kagome hesitated only when she caught sight of the first human to emerge from one of the homes.

The woman was tall and thin, wearing a yellow kimono with a maroon skirt wrapped around her waist that nearly traveled all the way to her feet. Her hair was short and brown and her eyes, which looked very kind even though they were filled with worry, matched in color. She cried out as she spotted Souta entering the village and ran to him, falling to her knees and wrapping him tightly in her arms.

'_His mother,' _Kagome guessed. She scented the air just to confirm that the two were indeed related. It was easy to tell by the similarity in their blood's scent. The hybrid stopped where she was, just a handful of inches from the soot covered ground, and waited to be noticed.

It didn't take long. Villagers poured from the houses at the sound of the woman's overjoyed cries for them to come. First they spotted Souta still wrapped safely in his mother's arms, and then they saw Kagome and froze. It wasn't long before Souta's mother noticed her too and when she did she quickly stood, her young son still gathered in her arms, and despite the boy's protests retreated to the safety of her human pack, joining them in their suspicious whispers.

Some of the people were badly injured, undoubtedly from their last encounter with the monster that she had come to kill. She could smell the strong scent of blood leaking from their bandaged bodies and cringed. _'Where in the hell is Hoshi whenever I need her lately?'_ She thought with a low growl, scowling over one shoulder to where she knew her pack was still within hearing distance should she call for them. She hesitated however. The villagers were already afraid enough with her there, the last thing she needed to do was bring the rest of her pack into the mix. That would just be asking for trouble.

"What business do you have with our village, hanyou-san?"

Kagome flinched and turned around quickly to face the owner of the new and unfamiliar voice. She was surprised, although she failed to show it anywhere on her person. After all it wasn't often that anyone was able to sneak up on her. Only more rare was for someone, most definitely human, to address her with respect.

The second her blue eyes met with the single brown eye of the stranger, their other eye hidden behind a black patch, Kagome staggered backwards a handful of steps in shock. She instantly recognized the red and white robes of the elder woman. She was a miko, and Kagome had never met a single person with spiritual powers whose goal was not to destroy her. She suspected this woman was no different and so without another thought the hybrid turned to make a speedy departure.

It was obvious the miko was old, her skin was wrinkled and her hair, which was held in a low ponytail by a single white ribbon, was gray due to her age. Despite that Kagome didn't have any doubts that the elder knew how to kill a half demon like herself, or worse, purify her.

'_If a miko is with them then they likely don't need my help anyway,'_ Kagome thought, preparing to break into a run, _'besides, I can hunt down that damn demon and take care of him myself without them ever knowing.' _

"Wait, hanyou-san," the elder miko called out to her, and for some reason Kagome hesitated, though only for a moment. The woman sighed and ignoring the protests of the villagers surrounding her, she bent down to lay her bow and quiver on the ground. "I do not believe ye wish us any harm, hanyou-san." She said, standing again, "please, tell me why ye have come to our village."

Kagome glared over her shoulder at the woman, glancing suspiciously at the weapon which the miko had laid at her feet. As if sensing her lack of trust, the old woman took a handful of steps backwards, raising her wrinkled hands up in a sign of peace.

"I wish not to harm ye unless ye wishes harm upon my people or myself, hanyou-san," she explained.

Kagome hesitated still, but her gaze eventually drifted back to Souta. He had managed to escape his mother's protective grasp and now stood beside the miko, one hand clinging to the old woman's clothes as he looked towards Kagome with a pleading gaze. She winced. Whether or not she felt comfortable here, she wasn't leaving until she had taken care of the demon. After all, she had no interest in going back on her word, especially when an innocent child was putting his trust in her hands.

Kagome turned completely until she was once again facing the elder miko. "The kid told me you had a demon problem," she explained, gesturing towards Souta, "I came to see what I could do."

To say the woman looked surprised would have been an understatement. She turned her one eye, wide with disbelief, to look down at the boy beside her before turning her attention back on Kagome. After a moment of complete silence, even the villager's suspicious whispers had stopped; she regained her composure and nodded her head once in agreement. "What the child told ye is true," she said, "A fire beast has been attacking this place regularly for quite some time."

Kagome nodded, remembering what the boy had told her hours earlier. "And despite that," she said, "you've stayed here and allowed this demon to keep attacking you…why?"

The old woman sighed, glancing over her shoulder at the uncertain faces behind her. She then turned her one-eyed gaze back on the half demon. "It's true we haven't tried to escape, but these people have resided here for many generations and survived many things. Our loved ones have lived and died on this land." She shook her head, as if she too thought to some extent that the words coming from her lips were as ridiculous as they seemed, and then she said as much herself, "ye may call it foolish and stubborn but that is the way we've survived here for so long. Even if we were to move, there are dangers to face elsewhere."

Kagome narrowed her eyes. She understood their reasoning, as crazy as it did sound. Her eyes fell on the group of adults and children standing behind the miko. Their bodies were broken, burned and bleeding, even a handful of the children looked as if they had survived an attack or two.

'_How long will you be stubborn? Until all of the people are dead and there's no one left to be with?'_ She asked herself, but then sighed in recognition. Whatever their decision was, it wasn't for her to decide.

"Where is this monster hiding?" She asked the miko, her eyes drifting suspiciously to the mountain in the distance. She nodded her head in that direction and asked, "Up there?"

Once again the woman looked surprised, as if not having expected Kagome to be honest in her willingness to help them. It wasn't often after all that a complete stranger, whoever they were, would come and offer help in such a situation. To put their life on the line in order to protect people they'd only just met.

Kagome caught sight of a small tug at the corner of the old miko's lips, but it was gone in a matter of seconds. She turned to face the mountain, her one eye narrowed as she looked towards the top where the pollution was heaviest.

"Ye can only guess such a thing, however it does seem right doesn't it?" she then turned to face Kagome again, "will you help us, hanyou-san?" she asked, still unsure, "would you come into a village full of people that are afraid of you and that lack trust in your kind and put your life at stake to fight off a powerful monster?"

Kagome's eyes drifted past the elder to the cluster of villagers, holding each other in fear as they regarded her. Clearly the same wisdom that Souta had learned was not shared within the entire village.

"Obviously, otherwise I wouldn't have come." Kagome grumbled, looking towards the old woman again. She hesitated for a moment before adding, "My name is Kagome."

The elder blinked, her mouth gaping slightly as she regarded the half demon. Then she shook her head again, smiling down at the ground in wonder. "Kagome-sama," she repeated the name to herself before lifting her gaze to meet with Kagome's for the umpteenth time. "I am Kaede." She introduced herself, and then turned to the people still huddling behind her. "Ye have nothing to fear, there is not one ounce of blackness in this girl's soul. Go about your business, there's much work to be done."

Without bothering to grace Kagome with another look she wandered deeper into the village, making her way through the path that the villagers made for her as they parted. "Please come with me, Kagome-sama," she said, "There are things I'd like to show ye."

Kagome stared after Kaede suspiciously; somehow even more concerned now then she was upon first spotting the old miko. _'How…does she know me?'_ Of course Kaede hadn't said it, but the way she had addressed the hybrid and the expression on her face when Kagome had introduced herself clearly told her as much.

"Kagome, come on!" Souta shouted, running to her side and taking her hand in his, leading her in the direction Kaede was going. Kagome obediently followed after the boy, doing her best to ignore the uncertain looks she received from the village people as she passed.

As they made their way through the tiny crowd, the villagers continuing to step out of the way of their leader respectfully, then they moved even further to avoid being too close to Kagome as she followed after the old woman. Kagome wasn't bothered by it; or at least that's what she told herself. She was used to being avoided in this way whenever she was in close proximity to humans. It beat the alternative, being cursed at and chased down with torches and pitchforks.

One thing that did bother her however was how the stench of human blood and burned flesh grew stronger with every step. Kagome's ears flattened and she lifted her free hand to cover her nose, though it didn't do much good.

'_Where on earth is she taking me?'_ The half demon thought with distaste. Despite herself she continued to follow the miko all the way to a rather large house on the far end of the village. It smelled the strongest of sickness and death, and Kagome fought with every ounce of strength she had to keep herself from turning away.

'_I might be sick if I get any closer,' _she thought, tugging her hand from Souta's as he entered the hut and simply shaking her head when he looked back at her curiously. She wouldn't go any further then the entrance.

Inside a handful of men, women and even children lay on straw mats, their breathing labored and their bodies fully bandaged. They were burn victims, barely having escaped the monster's attacks with their lives, Kagome realized. It only frustrated her more to realize that most of them already carried the scent of death, and she'd learned early on that once that happened, there was no saving them. Not even Hoshi's healing abilities, had she been there, could keep them from passing away.

A handful of others occupied the room in various stages of recovery. Most of them were too weak to move much, however they had given up their beds for those in worse shape. One in particular, Kagome noted, had gained Souta's full and undivided attention.

He was an older man, his skin wrinkled and his hair gray much the same way Kaede's was, sitting with his back leaning against the opposite wall of the hut. His clothes were similar to Kaede's, although his hakama were blue instead of red. He wore the clothes of a priest, Kagome realized. He had a goatee and a thick mustache pointing out on either side of his face, like the whiskers on a cat. His hair was pulled back in a short pony tail sitting atop his head and he regarded the half demon in the doorway with narrowed eyes and pointy, raised eyebrows for a brief moment before turning his attention to Souta.

"Souta…" he breathed when the youngster came to kneel next to him, and he reached out his left arm, the one that wasn't in a sling, to brush the boy's bangs away from his face. "Where have you been my boy? Your mother was worried sick…"

"Sorry, Jiichan…" Souta said, "But I couldn't tell anyone, otherwise they would have tried to stop me!"

"You're only a child," the old man reminded him, "of course we would have stopped you. You're far too young to be running off by yourself."

"But I brought help!" Souta explained, gesturing towards Kagome and grinning up at her, "Kagome said that she'd help us defeat the fire god!"

"A demon…" the man said gruffly, turning to scowl at the young hybrid in the door frame. "If I weren't in this condition I'd slap a purifying scroll on you in an instant and you would be—"

"Be quiet and rest," Kaede silenced him quickly and easily, "Everyone knows your scrolls wouldn't work, even if you were a real priest…"

"Kaede-sama!" The old man protested, "How could you allow such a creature into our village? Especially after all of the attacks we've suffered recently…"

"Jiichan," Souta groaned, reaching for the old man's shoulders to steady him as he attempted to rise. His struggling was useless however, and he only managed to sit up for a brief second before slumping back against the wall with an exhausted sigh.

His grandson smiled weakly at him before turning to Kagome with an apologetic nod of his head, "He means well, Kagome, I swear…"

Kaede stood from where she'd been tending to one of the villagers with greater injuries, dusting herself off and then turning back towards the hybrid. "What Souta says is true. I apologize in his place," she said, only receiving a shrug from the half demon, "he, like the others, doesn't have much tolerance for demons."

Kagome rolled her eyes, turning away from the door, more than ready to leave the hut and the stench it held within it. "Not like most people do," she mumbled, too quietly for human ears to hear.

Kaede meanwhile addressed another woman within the hut, one that was in relatively good shape, at least when compared to that of some of her roommates. She had a few bandages on her arms and face, but other than that seemed healthy. "Would ye mind terribly looking at Souta's scratches?" she asked, smiling when the woman responded positively, "I appreciate it. I need to take care of our guest…"

The old woman joined Kagome a moment later outside, gesturing for the hybrid to follow as she turned and continued to their next destination. "Why did you show me that?" Kagome finally asked, not bothering to silence the growl that rose in her throat. "Because you thought I was lying when I said I'd help you? Because you wanted me to feel pity for your people for the shape they are in?"

"Of course not," Kaede chided, although gently. "I did it only to show you how much I appreciate your assistance in our time of need, as I'm sure the rest would if they weren't so frightened of any amount of demon blood due to the recent attacks. I am sure ye noticed many of the people within that hut won't make it, no matter how much care we offer them. We can only make them comfortable before death comes."

Kagome heard the woman sigh as she turned towards the door of another hut, ascending the steps slowly and gesturing for Kagome to follow when she noticed the hybrid's hesitance. "Come, come, ye are welcome here," she assured her, "if ye hadn't come along, who knows how many more we would have lost..."

Kagome cleared the steps in a single leap, landing softly on the porch and stepping inside the tiny hut. It was much smaller than the house Kaede had brought her to just moments ago, clearly designed for only one. It smelled much better too, of herbs and roots that Kagome rarely scented outside the forest. A fire pit sat in the middle of the hut, a large, clearly well-used pot supported above the blackened wood where some sort of meat stew was cooling. Aside from that, the home was only furnished with a single straw matt and a single dresser in one corner.

Kagome hesitated a moment more as she watched the miko sit down in front of the fire pit. She looked exhausted, and no one could blame her, after all, she was in charge of keeping these people safe and many of them were dying or seriously wounded.

"You don't need to make my coming here sound so special," Kagome grumbled, moving across the room and sitting cross-legged on the other side of the pit. "Anyone at all with the ability to help in a situation like this would have…"

Kaede looked up at her, raising a brow in the hybrid's direction, "Do ye really believe those words or are ye simply trying to belittle yourself?"

"Of course I—" Kagome's words died on her lips when she caught the knowing smile the old miko sent her way. A beat of silence passed between the two before Kagome's gaze fell to the pit in front of her, "not exactly." She admitted.

"I figured as much," Kaede explained, chuckling softly as she reached for a pair of stones sitting by the fire. "However," she went on, "only someone with a good heart would expect as much from others as they were willing to sacrifice themselves. A foolish heart, but a good one nonetheless."

Kaede struck the two stones together once, twice, before lifting her head to smile at Kagome again, "Ye truly are a good person, Kagome-sama," she said, "It is a shame so many expect bad things of your kind, just because of the blood ye have in your veins."

Kagome stared skeptically at the old woman, her frustration growing. Then, with a heavy sigh she glanced at the fire wood, failing to lite despite Kaede's attempts, and reached out a hand towards the pit. She snapped her fingers once and suddenly the room was illuminated with the blue hue of Kagome's fire magic. The warmth of the flames as they danced happily underneath the cooking pot was comforting, and it spread throughout the room quicker than any regular fire would have.

Kaede stared for a moment, before simply shaking her head as she rested the stones on the floor beside her, smile still on her lips, "Thank you."

"You seem awfully confident in my abilities to help you," Kagome pointed out, as if not having heard the woman's thanks. "How do you know I'll pull through?

"I don't." Kaede replied, shocking the hybrid into silence once again, "However I know someone with your heart is the type that would risk their life to save a person in need of help…and that's plenty."

Kagome gaped at the miko as she stirred the meat stew, now boiling thanks to the heat of the fire. "You…" she started, again not trying to hide her frustrated growl, "you shouldn't be so sure…"

It bothered her. She wasn't sure what it was, but it bothered her to no end. Maybe it was the way the miko, someone who Kagome would have expected to want her dead, seemed to trust her with her life and that of her people. Or maybe it was the way she acted as if she knew her as well as if they'd known each other for years, even though they'd only just met.

Or maybe it was that she was so used to being ridiculed, discriminated against, feared and hated that she wasn't sure what to make of the old woman's kind and accepting behavior. Kagome snorted and shook her head, folding her arms across her chest and glaring out the door.

That definitely wasn't the case.

"Of course not, my apologies, Kagome-sama" was the old miko's simple reply, and then she handed the hybrid a warm bowl of stew before making one for herself.

A moment later Souta came bouncing into the hut, wearing a toothy grin and a handful of bandages. He took a seat in between Kaede and Kagome and waited patiently as the miko ladled the warm stew into a bowl for him. The second it was in his hands he started spooning large amounts of meat, vegetables and broth into his mouth, completely ignoring Kaede's warning to eat it slowly. It was rather hot, but the youngster didn't seem to mind. Then again, he was probably starving from his adventures away from home. Only he knew when his last meal had been.

"Are ye not hungry after all?"

Kagome's gaze snapped quickly from her bowl to Kaede's questioning stare and then back again. "Uh…" she began uncertainly, "I…I guess not…"

It was at least partially true.

Although she hadn't eaten in several days her demon blood kept her from needing food on as regular a basis as humans did. A week or two without food wouldn't kill her. In fact, it would take longer than that before her body began showing signs of weakness from not being fed. A fact, the hybrid knew not by choice, but from having survived long periods of time without eating because there wasn't anyone willing to share.

'_If only she knew,'_ Kagome thought wearily, handing her untouched bowl to Souta, who took it from her hands eagerly and finished that too in record time. _'The last time someone offered me food like this, although the situation isn't quite the same, it was blended with a scentless poison made specifically to kill demons.' _

Kaede and Souta didn't need to know that though, and neither of them seemed to question her refusal to eat, something she was grateful for. Kagome watched in amusement as Souta finished off his third bowl of stew, finally seeming to have eaten enough to satisfy his stomach, and made his way over to the straw mat to rest.

Kagome waited patiently, her ears trained on the young boy until she was sure he was asleep before looking to Kaede again. The old woman regarded her with a wise, kind smile, as if knowing exactly what the half demon wanted.

"I don't expect ye to remember me, Kagome-sama," Kaede began, "However, when I was just a girl, the same age as Souta, ye saved my life."

"I don't remember…" Kagome admitted, looking at the miko warily, "are you sure you have the right person?"

"I'll admit I had doubts when I first spotted ye, my memory isn't what it used to be after all," Kaede replied, "however when ye said your name I knew ye were the same one who had saved my life 50 years ago. Ye saved my life but ye were not in time to save my eye." she touched the patch covering her right eye, "I've managed without it just fine all these years."

Kagome's eyes narrowed, her gaze drifting to the fire still burning in the pit. _'A young girl with an injured eye,'_ she thought, _'that does seem familiar.'_

She spared another quick glance at the old woman sitting across the fire from her, "That's right," she started, her words barely a whisper, "the miko in training that I met back then…"

…

"_Damn her…" Kagome snarled as she crossed the forest floor with long, fast strides. She had no destination in mind, she only knew that she wanted to get as far as she could from her elder sister lest the wolf god decide to hunt her down for round two. "Damn you, Kikyou, what did I ever do to you?" _

_She'd managed to make it out of the fight unscathed for once and for that she considered herself lucky, very lucky. Usually her battles with Kikyou resulted in days spent healing, which she never looked forward to. _

_The young half demon clenched her fists tightly at her sides. "One day," she promised herself, in a voice that was barely a whisper, "one day I'll be strong enough to win. Then none of them, not even Kaasan, will be able to say I have weak blood…"_

_A scream effectively ripped the hybrid from her thoughts. Her first instinct was to run towards the sound and see if she could be of assistance, but the scent of human blood stopped her and she cringed. She hated that scent more than anything else in the world and ever since her father's death she had done her best to keep herself as far as possible from it. _

'But someone's in trouble,' _she reminded herself, scenting the air to locate the source of the scream. Once she'd picked up the scent of a handful of demons along with that of a human she shot forward, running with everything she had to get there in time._

_She didn't have far to go. Soon the hybrid caught sight of a young girl, ten years old at the most, racing in her direction. She wore a pale orange yukata, tiny black flecks decorating the cloth, and a red obi, both of which were stained with her own blood. Her hair was long and black, held behind her head in a low ponytail and secured there with a white ribbon. Her left eye, the one that wasn't hidden, was brown and full of terror. Her right eye was covered by her own hand as she tried and failed to stop the blood from flowing from whatever injury she had gotten, no doubt from one of the monsters chasing her. In her free hand she carried as long bow. _

'If the girl has a bow, why not use it?' _Kagome thought, seeing the demons that were chasing the girl appear on the horizon next. They were hardly worth her time, a handful of serpent like creatures, no doubt some of the lowest ranking demons around. Then the hybrid spotted the quiver bouncing back and forth on the child's back as she ran. It was empty. _

'Well, that answers my question I suppose,' _she thought with a sigh, leaping from the ground and flying over the injured girl to intercept the demons. It didn't take long to dispose of them, as she'd imagined it wouldn't, a handful of quick and accurate strikes with her claws and they fell to the ground, unmoving. _

"_Feh, pathetic," Kagome grumbled, brushing her hands off on her hakama and then turning to leave. She paused when she spotted the little human, who had since stopped running and was now kneeling a handful of feet away and staring up at the hybrid with her one good eye, clearly shocked. _

"_You…" she began uncertainly, "you saved me…"_

_Kagome shrugged her shoulders, stuffing both hands in her pockets and scowling at what was left of the child's pursuers. "Yeah well, you got lucky this time, didn't you?" she snapped, "Someone was able to save your butt, but next time pack more arrows, kid. Or better yet, don't come out into the forest alone." _

_The child bristled at that, seeming to forget her injury and lack of arrows for a brief moment as she snapped back at her half demon savior. "I don't need to be told such things by you!" she went on, bragging now, "I'm a miko in training! I could have purified them easily if not for—" _

_She cried out suddenly, both hands covering her bad eye as she bent over herself in pain, rocking slightly and whimpering. Kagome glanced down at her sympathetically._ 'Miko in training or not,' _she thought as she crouched down in front of the girl's crumpled form,_ 'she's hurt bad.'

"_Let me look," Kagome offered, gently touching the child's shoulder to catch her attention. She frowned when the girl sat up so fast that she nearly fell over in the process. She would have done just that had Kagome not been fast enough to grab the front of her yukata, stabilizing her and effectively keeping her still while the hybrid used her free hand to tug at one sleeve, asking without words that the child take her hand away from the injury. _

"_Idiot," Kagome scolded gently, "you think I want to hurt you? If I wanted that I could have killed you ten times already…or just let those demons finish the job…"_

_The child looked at her skeptically through her one good eye but slowly, hesitantly, lowered her hand so that Kagome could see the wound. It was impossible to see much past the blood that still drained freely from her eye, but there was one thing for certain, the little girl would never be able to use that eye again. In fact she could consider herself lucky if she survived the healing process without infection. _

_Kagome sighed, shrugging out of her haori and biting into the cloth of the white yukata that she wore underneath, tearing a good sized piece out of one sleeve. "I don't really carry bandages around with me," she explained at the girl's questioning stare, "but this should do the trick, at least until you're back home." _

"_You…" the girl gaped at her, "why are you helping me?" _

"_Would you rather I let you die?" Kagome replied, not giving her a chance to reply as she situated the makeshift bandaging across her injured eye, brushing her bangs out of the way so they wouldn't irritate the wound. "That's as good as it's going to get," she admitted, sitting back to admire her work, then asking, "Where do you live, kid?" _

"_My name's not kid, it's Kaede." _

_Kagome frowned, raising a brow at the child. "Kaede," she repeated, testing the name on her tongue before repeating her question, "where do you live?" _

_Kaede looked over the hybrid's shoulder to where she knew her village was before returning her gaze to the half demon skeptically. "Why do you want to know?" she asked, unwilling to trust Kagome, whether she was helping her or not, with the whereabouts of her people just yet. "If you expect payment for saving my life then you won't get it. I come from a poor village. We don't have much. Take my life instead and leave my people in peace." _

_Kagome gaped at her, one brow twitching in agitation and her lips pulled back in a furious snarl. She stood up abruptly, folding her arms across her chest and turning away, "idiot!" she snapped over her shoulder, "What in the hells would I have saved you for if I was just going to turn around and kill you myself? I don't need any of your damn money! What in the hell do you think I'd use it for anyway?" _

_Kaede blinked several times, shocked by the woman's outburst. "But," she started, unsure, "if you didn't expect payment then why?" _

"_You're going to need someone to watch over you on the way home, right?" Kagome replied simply, not looking at her. "Besides, you're out of arrows, and with that eye I doubt your aim would be anything to be proud of even if you had any…" _

_When Kaede remained silent for several moments Kagome finally turned to look back at her. She was still kneeling on the ground, her head bowed and her fists clenching and unclenching nervously on the cloth that covered her legs. _

"_What's wrong?" _

_Another moment of silence passed and then finally the girl shook her head dismissively, lifting her eyes meet Kagome's and smiling at her. "It's not far," she explained, "but before we go…would you tell me your name, hanyou-san?" _

_Next it was Kagome's turn to remain silent, too shocked to speak at first._ 'That's the first time, the only time a human has ever addressed me with respect…' _she thought in awe._

"_My name is Kagome." _

…

'_I can't believe I'd forgotten that,' _Kagome scolded herself, glanced up from the flames where her gaze had once again fallen while she was lost in her memories to stare into Kaede's one good eye. "You were that little girl…the miko in training…"

"Aye," Kaede replied with a smile, "that was nearly fifty years ago."

Kagome nodded, "and you're a miko now…"

Kaede leaned forward to raise the cooking pot away from the fire so that the stew could cool again. She sat back a moment later, rubbing her shoulder as if she'd strained it completing that simple task.

"I may be a miko, but that meeting we shared fifty years ago changed me forever. When I was in training I was taught to shoot on sight, and I probably would have the day I'd met you had I had any arrows left." She reached for her bow, which sat beside her, and rested it gently across her knees, "you taught me something different. You taught me that not all demons are dangerous and to not judge based on someone's blood."

Kagome scoffed, "I can be plenty dangerous." She pointed out, "I'm just not a danger to you is all…"

Kaede chuckled, "Aye, I suppose that's true." She glanced at Souta, sleeping soundly on the straw man behind her. "I've been trying to instill those teachings into the young ones. Souta tends to be the fastest learner when it comes to those things…I noticed that he made the right choice when it came to trusting you, Kagome-sama…"

"Ah," Kagome felt her cheeks burn slightly and she quickly looked back towards the fire, "well…I guess so…"

Anything Kaede had been about to say was cut short as a scream echoed through the village streets. Both women were on their feet in an instant, their weapons in hand as they started towards the door.

'_Damn'_, Kagome thought furiously, following Kaede out, _'It's because of this smoke that's polluting the village that I can't smell a thing. I completely missed his arrival.' _

It wasn't difficult to spot him once they'd exited the hut. He stood in the middle of a crowd, a wicked, toothy grin on his face as he held a young woman high above his head. The villagers that surrounded him looked torn between cowering in fear and assisting the poor girl, but in the end they did nothing.

Kaede was the first to react. She pulled an arrow from her quiver, notched it in her bow and let it fly, all with amazing speed considering her age. The arrow hissed as it tore through the night, leaving a trail of light behind it. It didn't miss its mark.

The demon let out a furious shout as the arrow took a small chunk out of his arm. It wasn't enough to bother him for long, but it was enough for him to drop the woman to the ground, where she was quickly carried to safety by a handful of village men.

The demon meanwhile turned on Kaede, his blood red eyes glowing with fury, "miko bitch," he snarled at her. "How dare you…"

"You're the one that's been causing all the trouble, aren't you?" Kagome asked, stepping out in front of the elder miko protectively and drawing the demon's attention to her. "You call yourself a god? You don't look very godly to me at all…"

Actually, he looked surprisingly human. His hair was black and pulled back into a bun that sat atop his head, tied there with a red ribbon that matched his eyes, and his ears were pointed. His skin was an uncomfortable looking shade of pink, making it seem as if he'd gotten a bad sun burn, but it didn't seem to bother him in the least as he moved. He towered over the villagers, making them look like mere children when compared to his eight foot tall frame.

His upper body was completely bare aside from a pair of arm protectors that covered the lower part of each limb, made of silver metal, and a black beaded necklace with large round beads that looked suspiciously to be made of balls of cooled lava. His hakama were black and torn, tied snuggly around his waist with a white belt, and on his feet he wore wooden sandals.

His eyes flashed with interest as they landed on Kagome. He grinned. "And who the hell are you?" he barked, "Were the fools so desperate to get rid of me that they went and begged a _half demon_ for help?"

"What if they did?" Kagome challenged him, "You don't look like much, I'm sure a mere _half demon_ like me will be enough to take care of you."

The demon's face went from amused to furious in record time. He pulled his lips back to show his teeth, clenched his fists at his sides and let out a howl of fury, which in turn made Kagome scowl and flatten her ears back against the top of her head. The sound of his roar was nearly defining with her sensitive hearing.

"Cut that out!" She barked at him, even though she knew her words wouldn't be heard over the sound of his screams. She lifted one hand, the one that wasn't busy flatting her ears further against her head in a useless attempt to block out the sound, and clawed at the noisy beast.

It had the desired effect. He stopped his screaming. But he had leapt in the air when she struck at him and avoided being hit by the arcs of light sent at him by her claws.

Kagome glared at him, both hands returning to her sides. _'He's going to be a bit more difficult to kill then I thought, especially if he keeps screaming like that,'_ she thought, groaning inwardly. She could already feel the throbbing of a migraine in her temples. _'I need to make sure he doesn't get the chance to do that again.' _

"What's wrong mutt?" He asked, flashing an amused smirk, "got sensitive ears?"

"Is talking all you can do?" the hybrid growled back, preferring not to go that route in the conversation. If he realized he could use something like his obnoxiously loud voice to weaken her, something he had likely already done if he had a brain inside his giant skull, then she might end up with the short end of the stick so to speak.

'_Although I'm not entirely sure that isn't already the case,' _she pondered, _'he's got size, that's for sure, and my instincts are telling me that he's not to be underestimated…'_

"Oh I'll show you exactly what I can do, you little pipsqueak." His grin widened, an amused, sickening grin, "My name is Takeshi, son of fire and lightning," he explained, "now prepare to get crushed little half breed. You don't stand a chance against my awesome power!"

Kagome sunk into a crouch, watching intently as he fingered the cool lava beads around his neck. "Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that," she countered, wary but confident, "so far I'm not impressed."

Takeshi's chuckled as he plucked a bead from his rosary. "I don't need someone like you to be impressed with me," he said as he chucked the ball at the ground. It connected within a handful of feet of where Kagome had been crouching, setting off an explosion that could have been dangerous to anyone within twenty five feet and life threatening to anyone closer than that.

The half demon landed a good distance away, well outside of the zone in which she or anyone else could have been injured. She carried Kaede on her back, much the same way she'd held Souta earlier. She crouched again, allowing the old miko to step down, and then turned to glance at the elder over one shoulder.

"You should go," she said, nodding in the direction of the forest from where she'd come. "Take the villagers too. I won't be able to fight at my best if I have to worry about protecting everybody."

"How sweet of you, half breed," Takeshi cooed, his voice clearly indicating that he thought otherwise, "to worry about the humans here. You shouldn't waste your time. When I'm done with you I'm going to kill each and every one of these bastards."

Kagome turned to face him again, glaring. "That just means I'll have to make sure you're dead before I leave here, doesn't it?"

She would have said more had she not been distracted by a sudden and repeating pulse, like that of a heartbeat, lifting from her scythe. It steadily grew in strength until it had matched the heartbeat within her chest, beat for beat. Following the odd throbbing was a wave of warm energy that reminded the half demon of her fire magic. The warmth surrounded her right hand, drifting up the length of her arm and into her chest.

'_This is…'_ the half demon thought, staring down at the scythe's blade in wonder, _'this is like when I held the Tessaiga for the first time…but it's different somehow too.'_

After a moment the pulse died down to a soft, barely noticed throb that repeated every few seconds. Soon after Kagome felt the chill return to the staff's metal surface. The hybrid sent a second quizzical look down at her weapon, but quickly dismissed its odd behavior. She had more important things to pay attention to then her scythe acting weird, like the 8 foot tall self-proclaimed fire god charging at her for instance.

"Get out of here!" Kagome shouted over her shoulder, gesturing at Kaede again to leave for safer ground as she faced the giant beast head on. The old woman looked as if she wanted to protest, and probably would have had the safety of her village not been at stake. She quickly gathered the villagers around her, ordering the healthy and strong to carry those who weren't as fortunate as they made their way towards the tree line.

Kaede hesitated only a moment longer than the rest, watching as Kagome easily cleared Takeshi's height as she leapt over him, cracking her scythe over the back of his head as she passed him on the way down. She didn't do it hard enough to significantly injure him, although with the thickness of his skull one would wonder if anyone was capable of such a feat, only enough to knock him off balance and anger him into focusing on her and not the escaping villagers.

'_Please, Kagome-sama,' _Kaede thought, bowing her head and brining her hands together in a brief moment of prayer for the hybrid's safety, _'please make it through this battle safely.'_

"You half breed bitch!" Takeshi snarled, swiping at her with one large fist as he turned, which she also managed to dodge rather easily. "You'll die right here in this village!"

Kagome only smirked at him, leaping into the air and landing softly on one of the empty village houses. She dropped into a crouch atop the roof. _'What an idiot.'_ She thought as she observed his movements carefully. For a moment he only glared at her, but soon after he was on the move again, making his way over to the hut she perched on. _'I've already figured out one of his weaknesses, anger. He gets angry and then he gets sloppy. I've seen it a million times. Can't bring emotions like that into a fight and expect to win.' _

Aside from knowing that she could have an advantage over him if she got him angry, she also had speed on her side. Takeshi was fast, but not nearly as fast as she was. Besides that, when she'd leapt over his head she'd noticed that once the big oaf got moving at top speeds he had a more difficult time slowing down and it was nearly impossible for him to make sharp turns, at least without ending up on his butt.

Kagome hunkered down on the roof as Takeshi grabbed onto the side of the building, ripping large holes in the wood with his giant hands and rocking the entire structure back and forth in an attempt to get her down. "Come on down mutt," He growled at her, "or are you afraid I'm going to tear you up, limb from limb?"

"Hardly," Kagome called back, and then cleared him by twenty feet in a single jump seconds before the entire structure came crumbling to the ground thanks to his relentless behavior. The hybrid turned to face him once she'd landed. "You giant fool," she taunted, "You'll never catch me at the rate you're going!"

He came after her again and again, but she only continued dodging his pathetic attempts to grab her. She knew better then to get within his reach. If she got too close and he was able to get a hold of her, she might be in for a rougher battle then she wanted, much rougher.

"Stop running away!" He howled as he buried one fist in the ground, the one that was aiming for her.

"Stop running, huh?" Kagome asked from where she balanced a handful of feet off the ground on the edge of a wall, one of four that used to be the structure of a house before Takeshi got to it. She glanced down at her scythe. _'I wonder,'_ she thought, preparing to leap away as Takeshi came thundering towards her again, arms flailing, _'will you transform the same way Tessaiga does? Only one way to find out I guess…' _

As Takeshi was arriving at her perch, both fists slamming into the already weakened frame of what once was a home, Kagome leapt from it. She didn't go very far this time. Instead she landed right behind him; swinging around to face him at the same time he turned to face her, scythe in hand.

Takeshi's eyes narrowed as he caught the blade in one of his massive hands, squeezing it tightly in between his thumb and the rest of his fingers. He grinned down at her, noticing the displeased look on her face. "What was that, half breed?" he asked, laughter in his tone, "your pathetic weapon won't be able to leave a scratch on me."

He demonstrated by using his free fist to pound on his opposite arm a few times, not even flinching despite the amount of force he used. "You see?" he asked, his grin widening to show off his teeth, "my skin is much tougher then even yours…"

'_Damn thing, going to be useless all over again, are you?'_ She thought, glaring at the weapon. While he was distracted with his own gloating she managed to force it free of his grasp, stumbling back a handful of feet when the blade came loose from his grip.

"Doesn't matter," Kagome replied confidently, "I can take you out just fine with my own claws."

But her words were spoken on deaf ears she realized as she glared up at him. His eyes were no longer on her. Instead he stared past her towards the opposite end of the village, in the direction of his mountain. Kagome's heart sunk when she turned and spotted the little boy standing, frozen with fear, in the middle of the street.

"Souta…" she whispered, eyes widening as she realized that he'd likely been forgotten inside Kaede's hut due to the panic caused by Takeshi's arrival. _'I've got to get him out of here somehow,'_ she thought, but she realized a second too late as Takeshi, shoving her out of the way, went thundering past.

'_That ugly bastard will kill him with a single strike!'_ She thought and took off after the beast, _'I have to make it there in time!' _

"You little brat!" Takeshi howled as he approached Souta, who looked for all the world like a little rabbit about to be devoured by a bear. Kagome wasn't the only one who realized he was much too frightened to do anything to save himself, and Takeshi let out a deep throated laugh as he made a grab for the boy.

"I'll use you as bait," Takeshi promised, "and then once I've destroyed the half demon I'll devour you and your entire village!"

"You won't!" Kagome yelled back, placing herself protectively in between the boy and the giant, scythe held horizontally in both hands to block Takeshi's fists. The ones that were meant to grab Souta. Kagome groaned as the force of the impact shook her entire frame, blinking several times to clear her vision and then quickly turning to look over one shoulder at Souta.

"Kaede took the others just to the tree line," she explained, nodding towards the forest, "go wait there, and hurry it up!"

Souta didn't hesitate for another second. He bobbed his head up and down a few times in agreement and took off past Kagome and Takeshi, running to where the rest of the village was hiding.

"You bitch!" Takeshi howled at Kagome, clearly furious that she'd dared to interfere with his thought-to-be-great plans. Both hands latched onto the scythe's handle, first attempting to rip it from Kagome's grasp, but when she refused to give it up he decided instead to throw the weapon, along with her attached body, away from him.

Kagome bit back a yelp of pain when her back connected with the ground a second later. Her weapon still held tightly in her right hand, she sat up and then slowly made it to her feet only to be knocked back again as Takeshi delivered a solid punch to her gut. She did let a tiny whimper slip that time as she felt and heard several ribs snapping beneath the force delivered by his fist. It wasn't enough to bring her to her knees just yet, but Takeshi didn't have any problem shoving her the rest of the way down and then wreaking havoc on her body as he pounded on her.

Kagome made an attempt to claw her way to safety, but he wouldn't let her escape so easily. He grabbed a hold of her collar, dragging her back so that he could continue beating her with his hands. Kagome snarled at him, unable to do much more in that moment then turn over and let him pound his fists into her back over and over.

She flexed her claws, glancing at him over one shoulder and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. _'Stupid oaf,'_ she thought, too focused to be bothered by his punches, _'Your skin might be too tough to penetrate but I bet your eyes aren't…' _

She was about to turn and give him a piece of his own medicine, claws right through the eye, but the sudden return of a heartbeat within her scythe's staff stopped her in her tracks. Her eyes grew wide as she stared down at the weapon still clutched in one hand. The fire that she'd felt burning it's way though her hand, down her arm and into her chest was back as well, and much hotter than before.

'_What…?'_ she asked herself, her gaze snapping to the empty eye sockets on the wolf's skull where she could see a faint blue glow from within. _'What in the hell is it doing now?'_

"Stop hurting her!"

A small voice, trembling and uncertain, cut like a knife into the air, gaining both Kagome's and Takeshi's immediate attention. It had the desired effect; Takeshi instantly stopped pounding his fists on Kagome's back, but only in interest of coming after Souta instead.

"So you didn't leave after all?" Takeshi asked with a sickening grin. He laughed, "I'll make you deeply regret that decision, brat!"

"Souta," Kagome yelled, biting her tongue to keep a string of profanities at bay, "I thought I told you to leave! Get out of here!"

Takeshi was already on his way towards Souta, who was once again frozen in fear as he realized the position he'd put himself in. The demon cleared Kagome's body in one stride and marched towards the youngster with intent to kill.

'_You won't get the chance to lay a hand on him, you bastard,'_ Kagome thought, quickly coming to her feet behind the departing monster and striking at him with her scythe. She didn't expect it to seriously injure him, after all, the last time it hadn't so much as left a scratch even after it had started acting strangely. The plan was only to distract him long enough to get Souta to safety. When the blade connected with Takeshi's should however, it cut through his tough skin like a knife through warm butter, severing his right arm.

Kagome didn't take long to recover from her shock, leaping out of the way as Takeshi swung at her with his left arm, howling in pain. She landed beside Souta, giving him a meaningful look and then pointing one clawed finger towards the tree line.

"Go," she ordered, crouching in front of him, "and I mean it this time."

"But he was hurting you," the boy protested. He reached up to rest a hand on her cheek where an angry purple bruise was already forming.

"I'm fine," Kagome insisted, batting his hand away gently, "now get going."

Souta nodded, still looking over one shoulder at her as he turned to run towards the forest where his family was waiting. Kagome sighed as she stood and turned to face Takeshi again. He was furious, as was to be expected, after all, he'd lost his right arm. He glared at her from where he stood several hundred feet from her, bent over slightly, left hand clutching his right shoulder which bled freely, creating a pool of crimson in the dirt below his feet.

"Not such a piece of junk after all, is it?" Kagome asked with a grin, straightening her right arm out in front of her to show off her newly transformed scythe. A transformation, she guessed, that wasn't unlike the one she was used to seeing in Inuyasha's sword.

The blade had a dark shine to it, making it appear black in the light. In contrast the skull, which now had a small hide of dark brown wolf's fur growing from where the vertebrae would have begun and covering the connection between the skull and staff, was a clean white. The eye sockets had a soft, blue glow coming from within that reminded Kagome of her fire magic and the staff was a deep purple, almost black.

She lowered her staff, her grin turning into a threatening snarl as she took a step forward, "now that it's transformed," she said, "it's time to take care of you for good."

"We'll see who takes care of who, half breed scum," Takeshi snapped, slamming his fist into the ground with enough force that Kagome felt the earth shake beneath her feet. He flashed his sickening, pain-promising grin at her once before slamming the ground again and again.

Kagome braced herself as the ground started shaking on its own accord, no longer caused by his relentless pounding. The earth groaned below her feet as it finally split with a loud crack, opening up a massive hole in the ground that began at Takeshi's fist and traveled past Kagome, or where she had been standing before she moved out of the way, and to the first of many trees that stood in the valley before the forest, splitting the trunk clean in half.

Kagome stared in awe at the canyon the beast had created, eyes widening further as she noticed the steam rising from the crack, followed soon by red hot lava. She cautiously stepped closer to the large opening, staying far enough away that the lava couldn't reach her. Her gaze snapped back to Takeshi when she heard him scream.

He grabbed at his rosary with one hand, tearing it from his neck and hurling it at the ground. He didn't notice when it exploded against a handful of still standing houses. Flames jumped from the wood, working quickly to destroy what little stability was left within the structures before moving on to the surrounding houses, the field and the trees but he was too preoccupied with his own transformation.

He was getting bigger, Kagome noticed, much bigger. He'd already towered over her at eight feet, but now he was nearly twice that size and still growing. His rock hard skin was, quite literally, turning into stone and as the transformation process reached his right shoulder, the hybrid watched as his arm was regenerated, stone by stone.

Finally his screams subsided and Kagome uncertainly lifted her ears from where they'd plastered themselves against the back of her head in attempt to soften the horrible noise. Her fur bristled as he lowered his head, having lifted it up as he howled to the heavens, and smirked at her.

"Half breed," he said, addressing her in a much deeper, rougher voice then before, "now you will definitely pay a price for your interference!"

Kagome felt her instincts screaming at her to be careful, but she trampled her discomfort down quickly. "It's doesn't matter what form you take you know," she taunted, "You won't be able to scare me off."

Takeshi only chuckled, slamming his fists together and stepping forward, but instead of charging her like Kagome expected him to, he took a short leap into the air. He tucked his legs in, wrapping his arms around his knees and ducking his head until he resembled a large bolder. When he hit the ground again he started rolling, and he was fast.

As he rolled through the flames and lava his compacted body caught on fire and soon Kagome was left with no choice but the get out of the way and watch as he flattened any remaining structures. Her body grew rigid as he made a sharp turn, after destroying the last house, and came after her, leaving a blaze of fire behind him as he shot forward in her direction.

'_How in the hell am I supposed to stop that?'_ She asked herself, and then she glanced at her scythe.

She braced herself as he came rolling towards her at breakneck speeds, stretching both arms out in front of her with her scythe held horizontally in both hands. She felt her ribs protest strongly as he collided with her. Her whole body protested, but the pain in her chest combined with the force of their collision nearly forced the hybrid to her knees. She moaned, looking up as she finally slid to a stop several hundred yards from where she'd started.

Takeshi had uncurled himself and now held her scythe in one hand, positioned in between both of hers, while his opposite arm was pulled back, fist clenched as he prepared to strike. "I'll knock your head clean off, bitch!"

She ducked to one side just in time to avoid having him do just that, only catching the side of his rocky fist with her cheek, causing a long, deep slice on the right side of her face. Kagome glared at him, hands tightening on her scythe and sending a sudden wall of blue fire straight up and into his face.

He only laughed at her attempts. "You stupid fool," he chuckled, releasing her weapon and then shoving her back. He leapt backwards, landing a handful of feet from her and sending another great tremor through the earth, making the lava that still seeped from the crack jump and splatter.

"I'm fire proof! None of your silly magic tricks will have an effect on my body!"

He lunged at her again, his back and shoulders still aflame as he landed in front of her and latched onto her scythe, even as she buried it into his collarbone. He snarled, not showing any pain as he snatched the weapon from her and tore it out of his rocky flesh, holding it in between his thumb and pointer finger as if it was a toothpick and then throwing it away.

"Now what are you?" He asked, "Without your weapon, what can you do?"

"Plenty," Kagome barked at him, the surprise of her confident response slowing Takeshi down enough that she could leap up the length of his body, digging her claws into the side of his head with one hand and burying two fingers into his left eye with the other.

"How's that for pathetic, eh?"

He cried out in protest, throwing his head from side to side as blood spat from his injured eye. He grabbed onto her blindly with both hands and, with a furious shout, he slammed her into the ground. She hissed as her broken ribs were once again jarred by the rough landing, struggling fruitlessly to free herself as he held her down by her neck with one hand, preparing to slug her with the other. Seeing the impending danger she raised both arms, free from his grasp, to block his massive fist. She instantly regretted the idea as pain shot through her forearms, but it was preferable still to having her skull flattened instead.

Takeshi laughed again, raising his fist as if threatening to punch her again. Kagome glared at him in response, while her mind worked furiously to come up with a plan of escape. Both hands moved from where they'd been shielding her face, digging into his wrist, the one attached to the hand that held her down. He couldn't feel the pain, so it was impossible for him to notice when she'd nearly severed his arm a second time, this time at the wrist.

Kagome's ears twitched on top of her head as a chattering noise, like that of teeth clicking together, caught her attention and ultimately distracted her from her escape. She glanced towards it just in time to see her scythe flying towards her as if it'd been thrown, but she knew that was impossible. There was no one nearby that could have done so.

She raised one hand from Takeshi's nearly destroyed wrist, catching the weapon and grinning up at the rocky beast, noticing his frustrated expression. She swung the blade, connecting at his cheek and digging deep into the side of his head. He howled in fury this time, not in pain, as he leapt back. He could no longer feel pain since his body had been turned to stone.

Kagome allowed herself a brief glance in the direction from which he scythe had flown. Just as she'd thought, there was no one there. Her gaze returned to the weapon. _'My scythe came to me when I needed it?' _she asked herself in amazement, _'is that part of the bond that Toutousai spoke of?' _

Kagome's eyes flickered back to the fight at hand when she heard the telltale sounds of Takeshi crushing his fists together. He was predictable, another weakness, the hybrid noted. He was about to charge her again, and this time she was more than ready.

She sunk into a battle ready position, legs spread to steady her body, back and shoulders sunken slightly and one hand stretched out before her, holding her weapon. She smirked at the scythe, feeling it quiver with an unbridled amount of strength and energy that she had never felt before.

"It's time for this fight to be over, Takeshi!" She shouted at him as he lunged towards her for the umpteenth time.

She brought the scythe down in sideways arc in front of her chest. The weapon released a loud hiss as it sliced through air and for a brief moment Kagome was blinded by the light of the flames as a large wolf's head materialized within the fire and quickly moved forward to encase the approaching demon in a tornado of what would normally be flesh-melting temperatures. Takeshi of course was not affected by the flames, however hot, but he was easily torn into shreds by the fangs that followed.

After the fire and smoke had cleared, Kagome stared in awe at what was left of the stone beast. He was no more than a pile of rubble now, spread out across the ground in front of her, which had been mutilated by her scythe's powerful attack. Four trenches were dug into the ground, resembling claw marks, and where Takeshi had stood was nothing more than a pit of torn up and melted earth.

"So that's it, huh? The scythe's strength?" She asked herself, sitting down right there in the middle of the destruction. First she looked at Takeshi's body, or what remained of it, and then she turned to look at the flattened village houses and burned fields and trees that surrounded the once livable area. The fires had died when their creator did, but the damage he'd left was permanent.

Kagome's eyes drifted to her scythe next, and she grinned as she noticed that it had quickly returned to its previous form. _'I think I've finally figured out what that old goat was trying to tell me,'_ she thought, _'a bond with a weapon…who knew.' _

Kagome stood a moment later and turned towards the tree line where she could already see the villagers making their way out from behind the trees. She'd protected them at least. She may not have been able to save their home but they were free from the burden that was Takeshi and that was most important.

She managed a sad smile as she made her way towards them, spotting Kaede out front. The old woman was smiling at her with a thankful and happy glow in her good eye. The rest of the villagers looked happy too, and they showed their thanks and approval with cheers and laughter as they surrounded the hybrid. No one seemed to notice the destruction of their home.

'_And who says they don't have one still?'_ Kagome thought, ruffling Souta's hair as he attached himself to her waist. _'Father's village_ _has been abandoned for many years. It needs help but…it's a place to live and it's not far from here...' _

…

Kazoo watched the sun rise through narrowed eyes. He stood at the base of the mountain, the same place where Kagome had left from many hours ago, claiming everything was fine. Although he hadn't believed her, he'd trusted her not to do anything rash and gone about his business with the pack and his mate.

Now he was beginning to second guessing his trust in Kagome.

'_Where are you, Kagome?'_ He asked himself, bowing his head and allowing one clawed hand to come up and massage his temples. _'If she got into some sort of trouble she would have called for us, wouldn't she? But it doesn't take this long to visit someone's grave…parent or not…' _

His head snapped up a second later when the long awaited scent of Kagome's return filled his nose. He gaze snapped towards the direction which she approached fro, a disapproving scowl already in place when he caught sight of her silhouette. "Hey, Kagome!" he barked, "Where in the devil have you—"

His words cut off abruptly when noticed her less than pleasant expression and her bruised and charred appearance. He raised a questioning eyebrow, "what in the hell happened to you?"

"Don't start," she ordered, nonchalantly wiping at the dried blood left over from a nasty slice on her right cheek as she passed him on her way to the nearby pond.

Kazuo watched her retreating form for a brief moment before following; ignoring the death dealing glare she delivered to him over one shoulder. "Where did you go, cousin? How did you get those injuries?" he questioned her relentlessly, not expecting her to answer him but continuing on despite himself, "You know the elder's been pretty pissed since you left earlier. He keeps going on and on about how we 'should have left' and how 'you're causing trouble for him all over again'…"

"I don't care what that old fleabag thinks." Kagome bit out, wading into the water until she was waist deep, then ducking her head under for a brief moment to clean her hair. She scrubbed pointlessly at her clothes and flesh, muttering profanities under her breath as she did so. Her ribs still throbbed with every movement, but she ignored them for the sake of getting the god awful scents that she'd somehow collected while at the village from her body.

Kazuo's nose twitched as he watched her, amused. "You won't get the stink out that easily," he told her, "death, blood, sickness…those things cling to you easily but never really leave."

"I can still try, can't I?" She asked, "It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't had to move a bunch of them."

Once everything was said and done, and the villagers had agreed to make the move, Kagome had somehow allowed herself to fall into the role of a pack mule. She'd helped move many of the sick and injured that were still unable to do anything for themselves. Now that she was covered in their scent she regretted it.

She stretched her arms out in front of her chest and dove forward into the pond, swimming a few strokes out into the deeper waters. She turned back towards Kazuo once she'd reached the middle where the water was colored a deep, dark blue, treading water as she looked down at herself. Her nose was still scrunched up as if even submerging most of her body in water didn't clean the scent away. It didn't.

"Damn it..."

"So," Kazuo began again, taking a seat on the bank and smiling at the familiarity of it all. The pond was a comfortable place for the pair. They'd often come here as pups to fish for frogs and minnows when food was scarce within the pack, which was most of the time. "What were you doing that got you near that god awful scent anyway?"

Kagome sighed in recognition and then began her swim towards the shore. She knew him well enough. He wouldn't be giving up any time soon. "Helping," she offered.

"Who?"

"A village," she went on, climbing to shore and aiming a million water droplets at her cousin as she shook off, similar to the way a dog might, much to his chagrin. She then turned and dropped onto her back beside him, staring up at the sky. "I guess I'd met their leader once when she was only a pup, but I didn't remember it until she said as much. Now she's a miko that's running the place..."

"I thought you were visiting your old man's grave."

"I did that too."

"And these?" Kazuo asked, poking at one of the fading bruises on her face. "How'd these come to be?"

Kagome smirked, batting his hand away and sitting up. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her bent legs and looking out at the warm water in front of her. It was soothing to sit beside him and talk about nothing important, and it was most likely one of the last relaxing moments she'd share with her cousin for a while.

"Some idiot demon that called himself 'the god of fire'," She explained, "Cocky bastard…he was easy to dispose of."

Kazuo laughed, "If he was so easy to take care of you wouldn't have gotten injured." He pointed out, earning a roll of the eyes from the half demon beside him, but she didn't correct him. His smile drifted from his face a moment later.

"You know the elder will be coming down soon and he'll be angry at you for leaving again, for however short a time." he said, ending the peaceful moment between the two cousins as quickly as the words tumbled out of his mouth. "He'll be even more pissed to know it was to help a bunch of humans. You know he'll be able to smell them all over you, even if you did just bathe."

"It doesn't matter what he thinks," Kagome said, trailing a finger over the length her cut. It had closed quite a while ago, and was well on its way to being nothing more than a tiny scar. Then that would disappear too. "I'll be mostly healed before nightfall. It'll take us that long to get there and then…"

Kagome's words drifted off and she slowly, hesitantly turned to face the furious golden gaze of the elder wolf as he towered over her. "Half breed scum," He snarled at her, baring his teeth, "that scent fits you well, the scent of humans, pathetic…weak…"

"My scent is none of your damn business." She bit out, sick of bowing down to the old wolf; even if she knew she'd pay for mouthing off. At that particular moment she just didn't care.

She climbed to her feet, approaching him and pausing only when she was inches away. "You're the one that told me to 'get lost' earlier, isn't that right?" she taunted, "You're just lucky I decided to come back this time. You're far too old to rule anything, one of these days you'll have to step down…" she smirked, "and then I'll be there. Of course that is only if I don't take over the north first."

She didn't need to elaborate for the old wolf to know what she was implying. Each and every one of wolves that lived within his territory knew that eventually the elder would fall. Some, particularly the youngsters, had already begun challenging his authority just as she was doing now. Even wolves outside of the old man's ruling area had come to threaten him, but not a single one ever won.

It wasn't all that important. The wolves only wanted their moment of glory before they too would be taken down, most likely by Kagome herself.

"Who you little worthless piece of flesh," the elder barked at her, snapping at her with his teeth, threating but not willing to go closer then the air a handful of inches from her face. "I should have you killed right now for your unbelievable disrespect! How dare you speak to me like that!"

"Are they ready to leave?" Kagome asked next, swiftly changing the subject.

The old wolf glared at her, his eyes speaking volumes of the ways he would like to torture her. "They've been ready for some time," he spat, "as I said they would be."

"Good."

She glanced up and spotted a handful of wolf demons, some of her pack mates included, watching her from a distance, waiting for orders from their respective leaders. She then turned to look at Kazuo who, shocked by her display of dominance over the elder who had kept her fuming but quiet for many years, remained silent and simply blinked up at her. She jerked her head in the direction she was heading, a non-voiced order for him to follow. He came to his feet and stood beside her a second later, waiting. She looked back at the elder.

"So am I," she told him, "it's about time Koga and his pack mates learned who the real god is around here."

The old wolf continued to growl at her for a brief moment before turning to acknowledge the majority of the wolves who would only follow his command. At least, unless Kagome beat them into submission, something she was likely willing to do.

"Follow her," he bit out, and when they didn't move immediately he followed through with a snarl that threatened a painful ending to anyone who didn't heed his warning. "It's what Misako wanted!" he snapped, "and that's an order, not a request! Get moving!"

…

**AN: **If you thinkKagome's taking names and kicking butt out there, well, just wait till you see her in chapter 21. :D That's sure to be pretty action packed, for those battle-happy readers. Anyway, it's about time she stood up for herself isn't it?

I debated for a while about whether or not I wanted Kaede and Kagome to have met before. I finally decided it would provide an interesting twist to the story. I mean really, you didn't see that coming did you? ;) Anyway, for those who might not know, the actual story of what happened to Kaede's eye is provided in anime episode 148.

Yes, I know Kagome took for freaking ever to get her scythe to transform. You can all blame me for being so indecisive on how I wanted to work that out…I'm still brainstorming actually. XD

And I've got to know… what's with Glon Morski and Happyface2107 being my only reviewers this last time? Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for all the reviews I get but I happen to know that there are more than two people reading this story. Is it too much to ask for a little more feedback? I don't bite, I promise. :)

Random fun facts: iophobia is the fear of poison, cibophobia is the fear of food and apparently there is a yet-to-be-named fear of soup as well. Not that Kagome actually has a phobia of any of these things…just saying. XD 

**Important-ish bit here:**** There is a brief description of the scythe in the beginning of chapter 5 that might need some tweaking when I get around to it. Look there to see what it looks like when it isn't transformed, because I'm not saying it twice…. Also note: I've completely lost track of whether it's day or night now that I don't have to pay attention to Shippou. It's whatever-a-clock at the moment. XD**

**Chapter 21 Preview: The Northern Kingdom **

Inuyasha blinked several times as he watched the young woman, clutching her daughter close to her chest with one arm and dragging her young son along behind her with the opposite hand, run for the village. _'Funny,' _He thought, rather annoyed by their lack of what he imagined would have been a proper greeting,_ 'I thought they'd be happy to see me, but that woman looks as if she's just seen a ghost.' _

Silly Inuyasha, don't you know you're supposed to be dead? Anyway, that's it for now! Happy almost Thanksgiving for those who celebrate it, happy whatever-you-celebrate for those that don't! ;)


	21. Chapter 21

_**AN: **__Eh heh, heh…*dodges dirty looks* so umm…hopefully you all haven't given up on me already. For those who haven't, here's the new chapter, long overdue I know, but life likes to get in my way as I've said before sometimes and well, when that isn't a problem motivation sometimes is. :/ I didn't manage to get it out for Christmas or the New Year, but hey, it's Valentine's Day so that's kind of a holiday. Well…not really, but it's a good excuse to eat lots of chocolate (if you're single) or spend quality time with your partner (if you're not). ;) _

_**Happyface2107:**____To answer your question…considering this is an Inuyasha/Kagome fic, don't you think it'd be kind of funny if they never saw each other again? I'm sure they'll get back together at some point. Don't worry. :) As for my reviews, well, I've gotten 5 for chapter 20 so I'm satisfied with that. It's not a big deal. I certainly don't plan on forgetting about this story just because I don't get as much feedback as I might like. I've come much too far to stop now. I'm glad you enjoy my story so much, and thanks as always for the review! :D _

…

**Chapter 21: The Northern Kingdom **

"Kagome-sama,"

Kagome looked down from her branch to spot the wolf demon who had spoken. He crouched with one knee in the dirt and the other raised upright, providing a support for one arm while the other stretched to the ground where his clawed hand rested. His head was bowed so she couldn't see his face, but she knew he wasn't one of her own. He was from the elder's pack. One of the many thought to be unlucky wolves that had been strictly ordered to follow her lead in the ambush of the northern kingdom.

She didn't reply and after a moment of silence the man's head snapped up, his wide golden eyes landing on her half lid blue ones. Her silence and the slight incline of her head were the only indication that she was waiting for him to go on.

She didn't miss the way his eyes filled with hatred at the sight of her before they closed and he dropped his head again in mock respect. "Kazuo-sama asked me to find you," He said, "the pack is ready to move again."

"Good," Kagome replied, moving her gaze from the messenger to her chest where only a day earlier she had suffered several broken ribs. "It'll be a little bit longer on my end." She glanced again at the man below her when he didn't move, raising a brow, "you're still here?"

He didn't have to be told twice. Without hesitance the wolf turned and took off in the direction of the rest of the pack, failing to hide the disgust and fury on his face before he was completely out of sight.

"Isn't it a contradiction that the wolves call you with a respectful name like that? I mean, they might as well just call you whatever they want because the truth is there to see plain on their face…" Hoshi spoke as she stepped away from Kagome's chest, where she'd been hidden from the messenger wolf's eyes. She made her way up the hybrid's bent leg to stand atop her knee, her hands on her hips as she stared in the direction that the single wolf demon had left. A moment passed and when she didn't receive a response she glanced over her shoulder at her friend.

"You're not going to try and give me the silent treatment, are you?"

Kagome sighed, her eyes drifting away from the surrounding forest and down to the fairy perched on her bent knee. "Are you finished yet?"

Hoshi shrugged in response, now folding her arms across her chest more comfortably. "I don't know," she replied easily, "do you feel like I'm finished?"

The fairy took to the air as Kagome shifted, but she didn't go far. Instead she landed a handful of inches above her patient's head on another tree limb and watched carefully as Kagome dropped both feet from the branch where she rested, letting her legs fall on either side so that she was straddling the branch. She sat up a bit straighter, tugging away her clothes so that she could clearly see her bruised chest and abdomen.

Takeshi had been able to deal out some damage thanks to his massive size, rock hard body and nasty temper. Kagome had come away from the battle far better than he had of course, but he had still been able to give her what would have been serious setbacks had she been human before she was able to take him down. Thankfully she had the healing speed of a half demon and a very stubborn fairy to help her reach top shape again in record time.

Hoshi's unprofessional diagnosis had been several broken ribs in addition to a handful of nasty cuts and bruises that had come from being tossed around once or twice and beaten at close proximity. In addition, the half demon admitted that she had likely cracked one or both of the bones in each of her lower arms when she attempted to shield herself from such beatings. The result: Hoshi had absolutely refused to let Kagome get within scenting distance of Koga, or any of the other wolves in the northern kingdom for that matter, before she could heal the half demon's wounds. Or at the very least make a dent in the severity of them.

"The bruising isn't as dark," Kagome pointed out, noticing the way the once large, black and purple bruises that had stretched across the width of her abdomen had subsided to tiny patches of sickly yellow tint. She prodded the healing flesh gently with one claw, satisfied when she felt only a slight discomfort from the attention and quickly rearranging her clothes. She folded both arms above her head, twisting in one direction and then the other, before finally kicking one leg over the side of her branch and dropping to the ground. She landed in a crouch twenty feet down at the trees roots, glancing over one shoulder at Hoshi, who was slowly descending behind her.

"I'm fine now."

"Are you sure?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, facing forward again, "of course. I wouldn't say so if it wasn't true. You worry too much."

"I worry just enough, thank you." The fairy replied sharply, grinning when the half demon turned again to give her an annoyed look, "you better be careful."

"Yeah, yeah," the younger of the two scoffed, finally standing from her crouch. "I told you already, you worry too much."

Then the half demon turned her face towards the cloudless skies and let a deep throated howl pour from her throat. A second later another wolf responded to her call, and then a third and a forth, traveling throughout the forest to reach her pack mates, wherever they were. Dropping her head, the half demon waited patiently, her ears turning to catch every noise, until she heard Kazuo's familiar voice responding to hers. Satisfied that he'd gotten her message she turned to face Hoshi again.

"You wait for them to catch up. I want you to travel closer to them and if anyone gets a serious injury that's where you'll come in." she explained, "I'm going straight for Koga."

Hoshi nodded, and couldn't help but say it again, "you better be careful, Kagome."

Kagome only smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, "you already said that, idiot." She pointed out, and before the fairy could comment again she had taken off, disappearing behind a cloud of dust kicked up from her speedy departure.

The rolling hills of Sesshoumaru's kingdom, covered in lush, green grasses and littered with the occasional bunch of trees, were nothing like the steep, rocky terrain of the north. The forest grew denser as the pack came nearer to the kingdom. Trees with needle-like leaves, thick, rough bark and giant trunks reached for the sky as if they were wooden skyscrapers, their tallest branches disappearing beneath the heavy gray clouds that had set in only an hour before.

Kagome hesitated when she spotted the first signs of the forest opening up. They had traveled for miles beneath the canopy of heavy branches and dark clouds and it was nice, if only for a moment, to see the sun peeking out from behind it's dark blanket, still undecided on whether it wanted to appear or not.

Also visible was the first of eight wolves, sculpted from the top of a massive boulder and sitting proudly atop its rough, untouched ledge, which lifted it at least ten meters into the sky. The stone wolf's eyes were closed and its heads tilted back, mouth open wide to howl, but of course there wasn't any noise coming from its throat.

In the past, these wolves had always stepped down gently from their rocky towers, bowing their heads in greeting at the sight of Misako, Kagome's mother, and allowing her entrance without a fight. They had done the same of course for Kagome and Kikyou any time either of the sisters approached the barrier, so when the stone dogs that protected the southern kingdom had attacked at the very sight of her, the half demon had been understandably surprised.

Of course she had expected to see them, each of the four kingdoms was protected in a similar way to one another after all, but while she had met Sesshoumaru and Kagura in the past, it had never been at or even near the dog god's home and so she had never had to cross the barrier to reach them. Therefor she had been just as lost as the others when it came to knowing how to get into the southern kingdom and just as stunned to see the dogs come alive only to attack them. A god or not, Kagome had, at that time, not been on her own land and so she was considered an intruder like the rest of the group.

The stone wolves that stood before her now would never think to attack their future leader, or even so much as offer a lip curl in defiance. Or at least they had never thought to do so in the past.

'_But now things are different. Koga is there.'_ Kagome reminded herself, her thoughts uncertain as she stared up at the gaping mouth of the visible wolf, lined with sharp teeth. _'There's a chance that'll I'll have to fight to get in, just the way we did for the southern kingdom…'_

Carved from stone they may be, but the eight guardians were not brainless creatures that defended their home mercilessly with only one thing in mind: to destroy anything that tried to pass. They were powerful demons and loyal servants, just like any of the other wolves who lived under the northern god's rules. They were only different in the fact that they had been created, not by being conceived from two parents, but by magic.

And if these eight wolves were anything like the others that had served happily under her mother years ago, it wouldn't be surprising if they did turn on her, just the way others had hundreds of times.

"Idiot," Kagome sighed, scolding herself for worrying about such things, "you have more to think about besides how you're going to get through the barrier. The important thing to focus on is that stupid Koga…"

Despite her own words, the hybrid's eyes drifted back to the barrier and she closed her clawed fingers over the fabric that covered her chest for a brief moment before dropping her arm and leaning heavily against the trunk beside her. She hadn't been to the northern kingdom in years, hadn't seen the wolf guardians, the castle or any of the land since her mother had been killed. It was strange to be there again after so long. It was also painful.

'_Kaasan,' _Kagome thought uncertainly, bowing her head slightly to stare shamefully at the ground, _'I'm sorry that I took so long. Forgive me. I just…I just…' _she struggled for a moment to find the words within herself, and to be brave enough to admit them, _'I didn't know what to do.' _

"Are you ready?"

Kagome glared over her shoulder at her younger cousin. So lost in her thoughts and worries that she hadn't even heard him approach, but now he stood just a meter behind her looking at her with intelligent eyes. She folded her arms across her chest as she turned to face him, willing any lingering pain that he might find in her eyes to disappear.

"Stupid question, sorry," He began, waving a hand dismissively, "a better question though, is what you were thinking about just now?"

Kagome's glare darkened several shades, "that's a stupid question too."

Kazuo looked somewhat disappointed by her obvious unwillingness to talk to him, after all, they were generally the ones who shared their deepest and darkest secrets with one another, but he respected it and quickly changed the subject the way he knew she wanted him to. "The pack is surrounding the barrier as we speak. They're ready to move whenever you are. I figured you would want it to be as quiet an approach as possible so I came to you…"

Kagome sighed, glancing over one shoulder to catch the fleeting form of a wolf with a dark brown coat as it disappeared back into the forest. "Why? So that Koga doesn't suspect anything?" she asked, noticing that Kazuo too had caught sight of the wolf and was ready to chase after it, "don't bother. He has eyes everywhere. I'm sure he knows what's about to happen."

The younger hybrid looked as if he wanted to protest but he remained by her side despite himself. He sighed when he caught the darkness creeping into her eyes once again, despite her best efforts to keep it away. "Listen, Kagome," He said gently, resting what he hoped was a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I know this is difficult for you…"

"Spare me, Kazuo, please," Kagome groaned, pushing his hand from her shoulder and taking a few steps back to distance herself, "Hoshi has already done enough worrying over me for nothing. I don't need you to start. It's not the right time for that."

Kazoo ignored her and stepped closer, pulling her into his arms in a short hug. He pulled back a second later, before she had even had time to scold him and smiled. "There is never a time that I don't worry for you, cousin," he told her honestly, "telling me not to do so is pointless."

Kagome managed an appreciative smile and a quick nod of thanks, and then turned to face the barrier again. The sun had decided to remain hidden behind the clouds and the lack of light made the skies appear black even though it was only late in the afternoon. A dark blanket seemed to have been laid upon the stone wolf's body and made it look all the more threatening.

"Say Kazuo…do you think they'll let me through?" The younger wolf only stared as her, so Kagome elaborated. "The guardians I mean."

"They have before haven't they?"

"Of course, but that was before..."

"Before Koga," Kazuo finished when Kagome's words drifted off. He glanced upwards at the large stone statue high above them and shrugged. "There's only one way to find out, isn't there?" He went on, his tone teasing, "You aren't afraid of them are you? "

Kagome gave her an unappreciative scowl over one shoulder, "Don't spout that kind of nonsense, Kazuo," she ordered, "if I was afraid of them I'd have no business at all facing Koga. It's just that…"

She drifted off again, but Kazuo, as usual, didn't need her to finish. The two had shared enough secrets and spent enough time in each other's company that they could practically read the other's mind.

"Afraid to disappoint obasan, huh?" The youngest of the pair went on when only silence answered him, "to have the other wolves hatred and disrespect is one thing. To know that they would rather serve Koga then you, you already knew that. For the elder to hate you is nothing new either, but to have the very guardians that serve with no other purpose then to protect the northern kingdom's entrance, the ones that have served us for thousands of years and never let us down, refuse to serve you is a little different…"

Kagome sighed, "Something like that…"

"Only one way to figure that out, isn't there?" Kazuo continued, laying an encouraging hand on the older hybrid's shoulder and squeezing gently before he released his grip completely. "Momo and I and the rest are all behind you, Kagome. Don't forget that. And don't forget…first half demon to rule the northern lands comes with a lot of other firsts, you might be the first to need to kick some sense into those rocks-for-brains wolves up there too."

Kagome managed a smile, despite the stress of the situation she was about the enter, though it disappeared quickly. "Ah," she began, "it doesn't really matter what any of those bastards think anyway. If I cared about useless things like that where do you think I'd be?"

She stepped forwards and made her way towards the edge of the tree line, not bothering to give her cousin so much as a backwards glance. "Go and wait with the rest, Kazuo," she ordered firmly, "even if they do reject me I can handle them on my own. The second that barrier falls we're heading in and the wolves will have to be as ready as Koga is, more so in fact."

She heard his quiet agreement and then a quick shift of the soil beneath his feet and a rush of wind as he took off, leaving her alone as she approached the first of the guardians. She came to stand directly below the stone beast, staring straight up it its long neck and smooth lower jaw. After a moment of silence the cool gray shade of the stone faded and the large head of the wolf lowered, its blue eyes meeting with hers.

It stared at her for a moment, not moving from its perch, before it slowly crept down the boulder on its forelegs and then pushed off with its back legs, landing a handful of feet behind her. When she turned to face the wolf again it was staring down at her kindly. it was quite obvious then that her questioning the guardians loyalty had been pointless.

"Welcome home, Kagome-sama…"

…

The sun was sinking lower against the horizon and with it went the warmth of the day. The crescent moon hung in the sky above the orange and red hues of the sunset and somewhere nearby the voice of a single wolf cut into the cool air. Its lonely tune drifted across the valley where Shippou, Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha had decided to rest, traveling on the back of a cold breeze.

Shippou shivered and burrowed deeper into Kirara's thick coat. His demon blood wouldn't take over for another thirty minutes at least, not until the sky was completely black, so instead he clung to the two tailed demon for warmth. He glanced towards the trees as the wolf's song died, waiting for a few moments as if hoping there was more, but the air stayed silent.

"Kagome…" he sighed, his green eyes filled with worry, "you'll be safe, won't you?"

"Shippou," Miroku began, ignoring the youth's shocked cry when he appeared over the back of the transformed cat demon. "Was that Kagome-sama that you just heard?"

"You…you…" Shippou sputtered, glaring back at him with one fist shaking in fury and the other hand pressed flat against his chest, trying to ease his thundering heartbeat. "You scared me!" he accused, "don't do things like that! I'm just a kid! Do you _want_ me to have a heart attack?"

"Many apologies," Miroku replied, in a sincere tone, though anyone who knew the hunter well enough knew better then to believe he had been at all bothered the young fox's accusations. "Isn't it true that you can understand the canine tongue? Can you translate what was said?"

Shippou's glare lessoned slightly and then faded completely as he looked down at his hands, now resting idly in his lap. "It wasn't Kagome," Shippou explained, "but it was _about_ her…she's made it into the northern kingdom now."

"In that case she'll be facing Koga soon, won't she?" Sango asked, coming to kneel beside Shippou, one hand reaching out to unconsciously stroke Kirara's soft fur. The way Shippou cringed at the mention of the upcoming battle didn't go unnoticed by either adult. Sango reached out and gently touched a hand to the boy's shoulder, "she'll be fine, Shippou-chan, I'm sure of it. Kagome is a strong fighter."

Miroku nodded in agreement and turned away from the pair to rest his back against Kirara's hips, arms and legs folded in front of him. "Kagome-sama is very powerful," he agreed, but then he turned to the voice of reason and spoke the facts, "however she has a long and dangerous battle ahead of her."

The wolf demon she spoke of, Koga, he must be strong to be able to lead the north with any amount of success. On top of that she'll be facing any of the wolves that Koga has gained respect and trust from and any who might be opposed to the leadership of a half demon, even if it would mean better leadership than what Koga might be able to offer them."

"Miroku," Sango hissed, leaning across Kirara's back to give his ear a threatening tug, "you're supposed to be making him feel better, not worse!"

"I apologize Sango," The hunter replied honestly, sparing a look at the young fox cub who, undoubtedly had heard the woman's whispers but chose not to count on it. Instead he stared miserably at the ground, lost in his own thoughts. "But isn't it better to know the truth of what she's up against then the lies we could come up with to south him?"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed on the trees in front of him as Miroku's unconcerned tone reached his ears. The swordsman had allowed his companions to stop and relax for a short time, although it was only after the persuasive efforts of both Miroku and Sango that he allowed it. Inuyasha however was not planning to take this opportunity to sit with the tiny group and let his body rest. He stood a handful of meters away from them, his back turned and his eyes stuck on the trees from where the wolf's howl had come only moments ago. His arms were folded tightly across his chest, his jaw clenched and a scowl painted across his face when he caught a glimpse of gray fur through the branches and leaves. Seconds later Inuyasha's eyes locked with another pair, equally as gold as his own. The wolf peeked at him from through the foliage for a brief moment before continuing on its way.

"I suppose that's true, but," Inuyasha heard Sango's words die mid-sentence and sighed at the sound of flesh meeting flesh that followed. "Keep your hands to yourself, pervert!"

"I know she's strong, Sango," Shippou spoke up next, ignoring the pair's exchange with ease. After all, it had come to be a daily routine for the hunter to grope Sango on as many occasions as he could manage and each of his perverted advances would be responded to with a slap of the hand, or if he wasn't as lucky, Hiraikotsu. "But that doesn't keep me from worrying about her," he continued, "We're all worried about her, aren't we? Even Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha _wasn't_ worried, and he decided to prove as much by turning from the trees to glare hotly at the young boy who had spoken such nonsense. "Am not," he bit out, but his companions didn't look convinced. Even Kirara gave a look that showed she was clearly doubtful of his words.

"Don't be a fool, Inuyasha," Miroku demanded, "it's fair enough to say that you at least like her if not have stronger feelings for her already. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Come out and admit it to yourself with confidence, just say, 'I love you' or something simple like that."

"You'd catch better results if you followed your own advice, Miroku…" Sango admitted, glaring hatefully at the man's right hand, which had been inching ever closer to her breast while he spoke.

Miroku looked genuinely surprised by the woman's words and his face broke out into a happy grin seconds before he spoke, "Why Sango, I didn't have any idea," he began, reaching for her, again, "if that's all you needed to hear then why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I wasn't talking about me!"

"I don't have any feelings for Kagome!" Inuyasha howled, effectively stopping any advances Miroku would have made on Sango and any of the retaliation she would have followed with. Instead the pair stared at Inuyasha, who shook with embarrassment and anger as he scowled at them, his red face breaking out with protruding veins. Satisfied with their silence, the man then stomped past them, resembling a five year old who wasn't getting his way much too closely for his friends to hide their amusement, and only gesturing to them once he was a good distance past them.

"Break's over, on your feet, we're moving out." He snapped, not so much as offering them a glance over his shoulder. If he had he would have seen his three friends shaking with suppressed laughter.

…

If there was one thing that Kagome had been right about, it was that Koga was prepared for their attack. After all, he was arrogant, often aggressive and a royal pain in the ass as far as Kagome was concerned, but he was definitely not stupid. Word traveled fast among wolves, and she had no doubt that he had heard of her reappearance mere hours after her pack mates had initially located her. After that it would only have been as simple as putting two and two together for him to realize she'd be coming for him soon. He'd had that long to prepare. Granted, so had she, but he still had the upper hand with most of the wolves within the kingdom, not to mention the country, on his side. Even some of the wolves on her side of the upcoming battle would likely rather be fighting against her. It was only due to their loyalty to their leader that kept them from leaving her side.

The moment Kagome reached the opposite side of the barrier, the unwelcome scent that she recognized as Koga's filled her nostrils. He had done a good job marking this territory as his. His stench was spread far and wide, making it absolutely impossible for any creature with a sense of smell worth mentioning to miss.

'_Disgusting,'_ the half demon thought, blocking her nose the best that she could with one sleeve as she took in her surroundings. There were no wolves immediately visible, save her own pack mates and those that had been ordered to follow her lead by the elder, but she could smell the scents of many that were only waiting for the right chance to make a move. Aside from scents however, the castle was silent and dark.

The building itself stood atop the highest point of the mountain which made up the majority of the space within the barrier. It was tall, much like the southern castle but not quite as large, and made of thick stone walls that looked black in the absence of any sun. The light from the crescent moon, which was hung in the sky high above the clouds, lit only a small portion of the stone's surface and reflected in the water of the lake that stretched out behind the large building.

A number of wooden houses were scattered across the land in front of the castle, but they hadn't been used in centuries. The wolves instead preferred to live, if not in the castle, in a number of burrows or small caves that were hidden beneath the houses or on the opposite side of the mountain, closer to the lake. There was no wall adding to the protection of the castle, instead it stood out in the open, a few miles in the distance, shielded only by the trees that were scattered across the land before it.

"Might as well get this over with," Kagome muttered to herself finally. She found Kazuo's eyes, watching her from a distance, and nodded before breaking into a slow trot and then a fast run as she tore towards the castle.

She'd barely made it a third of the way there when she spotted the first of her enemies, a young one by the looks of it, and stupid to approach her from such a distance. The older, more experienced wolves would be waiting until the last possible second to attempt an ambush. His coat was dark brown and his chest and belly white, his golden eyes shining brightly with determination as he raced towards her.

She ignored him, instead waiting until he was almost on top of her before leaping into the sky and passing over him from above. She landed briefly in the branches of a nearby tree before returning to the ground and continuing on her way, never breaking speed.

She had no interest in fighting anyone besides Koga and although she knew distractions would be inevitable the closer she got to him, any that she could avoid she would. She certainly wouldn't waste her time dealing with a youngster. He was likely to be killed in the battle ahead, especially with his inexperience, but she refused to be the one to take his life. Not now.

Once she'd reached the halfway mark she started seeing more of them. They emerged from the shadows with their teeth bared and their fur standing on end, a terrifying sight for someone who wasn't used to it. Most of them were easily distracted by Kagome's pack mates, who had managed to catch up to her and lunged at anyone who dared to get in her way. They missed a few times, but none of the wolves at this distance were any real threat. Many of them Kagome simply dodged. A few more she sliced down with her claws or the white hot blade of her scythe. Only one managed to slow her down by catching her left ankle in its jaws, which it realized too late was a huge mistake when the half demon reached down mid run to grab its scruff in both hands, somersaulting and smashing the offending demon into the ground, making sure to dig her claws into its neck before she made it back to her feet and took off again.

It wasn't long before she was just outside the abandoned cluster of houses and she slid to a stop, faced now with a group of wolves that were much stronger. The ones she had run through earlier were nothing to be concerned with, even if she hadn't had her entire pack to back her up. Not that she was worried about facing the group now blocking her from the castle, but they could potentially be more trouble for her than the others had been.

She bared her teeth at the sight of Koga's brothers, Ginta and Hakkaku, who stood within the group. The pair looked content surrounded by the others, but she knew if she got them alone they'd be holding onto each other for dear life and begging for her mercy or running for the hills with their tails tucked between their legs.

'_None of these idiots are worth my time either,'_ she thought, scanning her surroundings for the familiar blue eyes that she knew she wouldn't find. Koga was likely buying his time, watching from somewhere in the distance and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. _'That is, unless I can find him before he can make the first move…' _

Kazuo stepped up beside her, followed by Satoshi and a handful of the other wolves. "You go ahead," the younger of the two hybrids whispered, "we're going to take care of these guys for you."

Kagome didn't even spare him a glance. She only nodded her head once in appreciation and then took to the air again, souring over the pack below her and watching from the corner of one eye as her pack mates leapt willingly into Koga's band, despite being drastically outnumbered.

She landed just past the cluster of wooden houses on a rocky ledge that stood five or so meters above the buildings and the ongoing battle, searching with all of her senses for Koga. She didn't have long to wait before he showed himself, or rather, allowed himself to be found by her.

Her fur bristled as the howling of a sudden wind storm caught her attention. Her ears flattened on the top of her head and she had to squint and shield her eyes with one arm to see through the suddenly aggressive winds without getting debris caught in her eyes. She quickly spotted the approaching tornado, and out in front of the cloud of dust kicked up by the wind storm was Koga. His face was dark and his blue eyes furious as he approached her with speed that many demons could only dream of.

He slid to a stop twenty feet from her and high above her ledge, glancing first at the carnage below them and then back at her. "You," he snarled, "how dare you draw the blood of my kin. How dare you walk in here after you ran away years ago, your tail tucked between your legs like a sniveling pup, and expect to take what is now mine!"

"Cut the crap, Koga," she bit back with just as much fury, "you knew from the start that wolves would fall if you set that up for them. If you wanted to save your pack the pain of bloodshed and death then maybe you shouldn't have been such a coward and hidden behind them all of this time. You knew I was coming, nothing was stopping you from being there when I crossed the barrier."

She gestured briefly to the hundreds of wolves that were tearing each other apart below her ledge, "You want to stop this that's fine, but that won't make me leave and the same goes for Kazuo and the rest. We're here until the end."

He smirked, glancing again at the clashing of both packs. He too had obviously noticed that his side had the advantage, at least as far as numbers were concerned. "Here till the end?" he taunted, "it won't be long before you're be burying you precious pack mates, Kagome. Then what will you do? Run away again?"

"We'll see who buries who," was all she said in reply, lifting one hand in front of her face, claws extended, to show off the blood of his companions that had already been drawn. She noticed the way his eyes flashed with renewed fury at the sight of her bloodied claws and wasn't surprised. After all, despite his shortcomings in certain areas, at least as far as Kagome was concerned, he did have one good quality of a leader. He cared. He cared a lot for his two brothers and any other wolf that chose to follow his leadership and he hated more than anything to see them injured.

'_But the battle must go on,'_ she thought wearily. She hated it too, especially when youths, like the one that had attacked her recklessly earlier were involved. For this fight however they had no choice, blood was sure to be shed on either side as was the case in any other war.

Kagome's body grew ridged with anticipation as she saw Koga take off again, lunging at her from above. He flew through the air, one leg extended and the other tucked beneath him as he delivered a solid kick to her ledge, easily destroying the rock and sending it tumbling to the ground in large chunks. He landed among the pieces a moment later and turned to glare up to where she'd escaped unharmed only seconds earlier.

She hadn't forgotten the strength in his legs. It gave him his impressive speed and it also gave him the power to deliver deadly attacks on his opponents. One kick from him wouldn't kill her, but it could potentially decide the battle for them if it landed in the right spot. That's why she'd made sure to get out of his way before he could come down on top of her. Now she sat perched on a much smaller ledge, watching him carefully as he leapt closer, but didn't try to reach her again just yet.

"Is running away all you can do well, half breed?"

Kagome scowled down at him but didn't respond. Instead she tightened her grip on her scythe, glancing at the blade out of the corner of one eye. As if feeling her stare, the weapon pulsed once, twice, mimicking the beating of one's heart, and then morphed into what she now recognized at its transformed state.

She glanced back down at Koga to gauge his reaction. He was watching her with a new sense of caution in his eyes, his nose twitching in barely detectable movements.

Satisfied with his reaction, he had, after all, always aired on the side of caution, the half demon dropped from her ledge and landed in front of him, her scythe held horizontally at arm's length. "I'm not running," she told him honestly, "when I'm finished here it'll be you who runs."

The wolf demon let out a short bark of laughter, although he still looked uncertainly towards her new weapon, "in your dreams, mutt!"

Both left the ground at the same time, meeting in the middle and holding each other back with equal strength. Koga's hands had fallen to Kagome's weapon, his fingers curled around the long staff not an inch from her own. They remained suspended for only a moment, their eyes meeting in a reflection of hate, anger and determination to win before pushing apart.

The second her feet touched the ground Kagome swung her scythe in an arc out in front of her body, sending a thin line of blue fire that matched the length and curve of her blade at Koga. He easily leapt over it, somersaulting through the air and then coming down on her much the same way he had on her ledge earlier. Or he would have, had she given him the chance. She leapt backwards, avoiding the ground crushing strength in his legs but only waiting until he had landed before shooting forward, towards him and swinging her scythe in his direction again.

He dodged each one of her swings, although not without earning a small cut on his right shoulder, and then back flipped away from her, attempting to kick her weapon from her hands as he did so. He landed enough of a blow to jar the blade, but Kagome's firm grip kept it in her hands and she retaliated by burying the tip into the ground where he had stood, barely missing cutting open one of his powerful thighs.

She barely had time to pull her weapon up and dodge his next attack as he spun through the air, one leg extended with intentions of knocking her in the head. She blocked his next kick, her scythe's blade connecting with his calve and causing him to retreat, if only for a second.

He glared at her from where he'd crouched in the dirt, several feet away from her. "Why don't you drop that weapon of yours and fight with your claws, half breed?" He taunted, "Afraid you'll lose?"

"Hardly," the hybrid responded, "I think it's you who's afraid I'll win with it. but that will be the end result in any case…" she hesitated briefly before jerking her head towards his left hip, "You have a sword, or don't you know how to use it?"

He snorted in distaste, but drew his blade despite himself and leapt at her again. She blocked each one of his advances as he struck at her in rapid fire, using her scythe as if it were a staff. Finally sick of his ruthless lunges she waited until he had connected his blade with her weapon again, and then slid the scythe's long handle against the edge of his sword until she was inches from slicing into his shoulder for a second time. He leapt out of her weapon's way not a second too late and as he retreated he threw his sword at her as if it were a dart. She brought up the end of her scythe to knock it away, turning the staff rapidly through her hands to create a pinwheel affect and block his foot when he followed with a kick.

'_This is getting us nowhere,'_ she thought as she eyed him. he had retreated again and was crouching a handful of meters away, watching her with just as much intensity as he planned his next move, or waited for her to make hers. _'All we're doing is blocking each other's attacks,'_ she went on quietly, _'I hate to admit it, but Hoshi was right, he has gotten stronger. We're an even match, at least for now.' _

When they were younger, much younger, and lived together in the same territory they would often spar together, although their fights were usually either the results of orders from a more dominate wolf or Koga wanting to use her as a punching bag. It wasn't long however before Kagome started to win, and once she'd tasted victory against him for the first time she had remained the winner in each battle that followed.

'_Except for those times he came to me on the full moon,'_ she thought, her eyes narrowing on him hatefully. She shook her head to clear her thoughts before her dark past could seep in and distract her from the task at hand. This was most definitely not the time to remember those things that she had buried over a century ago. Bringing those painful memories to the surface would only distract her and give Koga the advantage.

'_Alright,'_ she thought, crouching in preparation as she saw him start toward her again, _'Focus, Kagome. If I can hit him right…the way I did when I fought against Takeshi, then I'm sure I can take him out and if not at least do enough damage to win this.' _

With that thought in mind she took a step forward towards his approaching figure, but she didn't get far before a new scent, one even less welcome then Koga's, filled her nostrils. She stopped dead in her tracks, so stunned that, had the wolf prince attacked her at that moment, she would have been helpless against him. However she didn't have to worry for he had frozen to the spot as he too picked up the foul scent of miasma and demon blood quickly surrounding them.

Kagome recovered quickly, knowing that her safety and that of those around her was relying on it. Uncertain, she allowed her gaze to follow the cries of the wolves below her until she spotted the mass of demons flying towards them. Her eyes widened. She had never in her life seen a herd so large. Although they were all lesser demons, mostly resembling serpents and ogre-like monsters, and would hardly be worth batting an eye at separately or in a small group, in a herd of thousands as they were now, they appeared to be quite a threat. They blocked out what little light had been provided by the moon and stars as they passed overhead, some of them already descending towards the pack below. The wolves meanwhile had stopped their war to stare at the approaching monsters in unshielded shock.

"What are you just standing there for?" She howled at them over the sound of the swarming monsters, who only laughed at the motionless canines below as they began their attack. "Move your feet," she shouted, only satisfied when she saw that some of them had broken away from their initial shock to follow orders and were defending themselves against the teeth, claws and weapons of the mob.

Her sensitive hearing quickly picked out the buzzing of insects from the other sounds that overwhelmed her and she lifted her gaze higher to see Naraku. He was dressed in his albino baboon pelt and rode comfortably atop a mass of tentacles as he passed over the distraction and made his way towards the castle. Surrounding him was a swarm of poisonous wasps that had caught her attention.

"Bastard," Kagome snarled, turning away from the new battle below in interest of following after the dragon and stopping him from reaching the treasure, which she had no doubt he was in pursuit of. She was jerked to a stop though when a clawed hand caught her wrist, fingers digging holes in her flesh and forcing her to return her attention to Koga, however briefly.

"Let me go!" She ordered, turning her bared teeth on him as she struggled to release her arm from his grasp.

He didn't look amused and only tightened his already bruising grip in response. Infuriated and with only one thought in mind, stopping Naraku from reaching the treasure, she clawed at his chest blindly, managing to break one of the furry shoulder pads he wore away from its attached armor and cut deeply into his flesh. His grip loosened slightly, but before she could take advantage of her almost freedom she found herself on her knees. Or that's where she would have been if Koga still hadn't been holding her wrist.

Instead she hung limply from his hand, her legs bent at the knee and her head bowed from the shock of the blow. He had punched her hard in the gut and now was enjoying the way she cringed as he dug his claws into her belly, tearing through her clothes and into her flesh. It wasn't only that he had wounded her and forced the air out of her lungs, her ribs, which had only been barely mended with Hoshi's healing ability earlier that day, cracked from the force of his fist and Kagome moaned, knowing one more attack like that would have her ribs broken once more.

She herd him chuckle merrily above her, and felt his hot breath against one of her ears as he spoke, "you're not in charge here, remember?" He asked her, "as if I'll let you run off to fight someone else when I haven't even finished with you yet. You can't even beat me, can you? What a pathetic waste of your mother's blood…"

Kagome forced her eyes open, glaring down at his fist which remained firmly planted against her belly, his claws still working their way into her gut. Koga was wrong. She wasn't running off and forgetting about him, far from it. There just happened to be more important things to take care of at that moment then their fight, which compared to the threat of the dragon who had by now likely made it inside the castle, seemed like a mere tiff.

'_I can't let him steal the treasure…if he gets that far then he's just one step closer to reviving his brother…'_ she thought, glancing over her shoulder towards the castle and, as if to confirm her fears, she spotted the dull white of Naraku's baboon pelt disappear behind the stone walls.

Her attention snapped back to the problem at hand. She'd be damned if she'd let Koga stop her from stopping Naraku. He'd gotten much stronger and was a formidable opponent, that was true, he was even strong enough that she'd admitted to their fight being an equal match, if only to herself.

But he would _not_ stop her now.

'_Stupid wolf,'_ she thought, finally lifting her head so that she could stare him directly in the eyes. He seemed surprised when he met her gaze, maybe because he hadn't expected to see her eyes reflect such raw fury.

"I can guarantee you one thing right now, Koga," she told him, her tone icy, "this fight is far from over, but I have more important matters to deal with then you right now."

Before he could respond she straightened her posture, using one hand to grab his left wrist, the one attached to the hand that had punched her, and remove his claws from her body. She ripped her opposite hand from his lose grip and, putting all of her strength into one solid punch, she nailed him in the throat. She heard him gasp and felt his skin leave hers as he stumbled backwards. Something had cracked beneath her fist and she wasn't sure what it was, but at that moment she didn't care to stay around and find out.

Without as much as a glance at his crumpled form she turned and took off in the direction she'd seen Naraku last. _'I have to stop him from reaching that treasure,'_ she thought desperately as she ran, ignoring the protests in her ribs, _'I have to.'_

She had one advantage against Naraku. She knew the castle she was entering and he didn't. She'd memorized the maze of halls over a hundred years ago and knew every short cut within the structure. She knew every room, every corner, every crack and every crevice there was, and despite the fact that she hadn't been there in a handful of years she was confident she hadn't forgotten a thing.

Naraku of course could likely sense the shield he sought, made from the plates of thick skin torn off his brother's own back. If not him, then she was sure the sword which he had already stolen from the south would call out to the next treasure or vice versa. It was with those thoughts in mind that she forced herself to move even faster through the halls until she reached the darkest corner of the building where she knew the shield was kept.

She hesitated when she reached her destination, pulling on all her senses to locate Naraku before she dared to approach the untouched treasure, but her senses failed her and she found herself unable to find him. With a growl of frustration she turned towards the shield, still held in the same spot that she'd seen it so many times in her younger years. Was it possible that Naraku had yet to reach this spot? The castle had been built like a maze with a reason. It was just one more way that the structure provided protection for those within it, both living an inanimate, from anything that had yet to learn the ways of the seemingly never ending turns. Unfortunately Naraku didn't seem the type to fall for such tricks. He was more often the one to set them.

'Possible maybe, but highly unlikely,' Kagome thought as she closed the short distance between herself and the treasure. _'I'm more convinced that he's predicted my arrival…that he has some sort of trap set up somewhere…' _she thought, constantly scanning her surroundings.

When several minutes past without anything she allowed herself to relax slightly and tentatively reached out as if to touch the shield. Her hand stopped a handful of inches from the surface however. She didn't dare touch it. She'd heard the stories about the sword after all, and she didn't doubt that this so called treasure had its own secrets and defenses.

It wasn't round like most shields one might see on the battle field, made from wood or metal. It was jagged and rough along the edges, contained in more of an oval like shape. The texture looked as if it was made from scales, no surprise, since after all it was made from the hide of a dragon, and it was larger than most, standing at just over half Kagome's height and twice her width. Just like Onigumo's sword, the thick material that made up the shield was jet black.

"Admiring its beauty, are you?"

Kagome spun away from the treasure to face Naraku, a snarl pulling from her throat before she'd even seen him. He stood a safe distance behind her; well out of the way of her claws should she lunge at him. Even if she had however, she would have been run through by Onigumo's sword before she reached him, as he held it out in front of him.

"Naraku…" she spat, his name tasting bitter on her tongue, "you won't get past me."

Naraku only chucked, lowering the weapon slightly and lifting his head just enough that she could see his confident smirk beneath the mask. "I don't think I'll have to," he told her, amused by her determination as she sunk into a crouch, "foolish half breed," he taunted, "with these weapons at my side you might as well be as defenseless as a child."

She moved towards him, or she would have had her body had a will of its own. Her eyes grew wide as she registered the fact that, although she'd ordered her body to straighten and her legs to move her forward, she had remained on the ground in a crouch. Her muscles had locked up on her, refusing to move.

Had she been able to turn she would have seen that the shield had broken free from its own bindings and now floated barely a foot behind her. But although she couldn't see it with her own eyes by turning her head, she could see the reflection in the black sword as Naraku tipped it sideways, as if trying to scare her with the reality of what was happening and the fact that she had no power to stop it. A pair of red eyes reflected in the metal of the blade, and surrounding the shield that hovered behind her she could make out Onigumo's body in a smoky, gray substance.

"Brother…" an unfamiliar voice spoke up, so soft and weak that she could barely hear it, "kill her."

A moment later Kagome, despite her greatest attempts to escape the dragon's hold on her body, had barely managed to stand. She was bent over, hands on her knees and looking cautiously between the shield directly behind her and Naraku, who approached her from the front. Her face was covered in sweat and she was panting from the exertion it took to stand, not to mention the energy it took to remain that way with the heavy weight of the dragon's possessive power weighing on her shoulders. Her chest heaved with the pull of each breath, but she forced herself to move even further against her enemy's will. She focused on Naraku, knowing that although she could see the smoky rendering of Onigumo's body behind her, it was unlikely that she'd actually be able to cut him. Squinting at the younger brother's cloaked form, her vision blurred by the sweat that leaked into her eyes and burned them, Kagome leapt towards him, her claws extended as she struck at him.

She managed to slice open the baboon pelt where it covered his chest, despite her instability, and was satisfied when he rested a hand inside his robes, returning it to her sight a second later with blood painted across his fingers. She smirked, stumbling as she moved towards him again, "not as easy to kill me after all, huh?"

Naraku's scent spiked in momentary panic but he covered it with a low chuckle. "Very good," he said, although the compliment was empty, meaningless. He was only taunting her. "Few are ever able to even breathe under the crushing power of my brother's possession."

"Brother," the voice that Kagome had decided must belong to Onigumo called again, a little firmer this time. "Kill her, now."

Kagome shot forward again, stumbling as she approached the cloaked brother. It was getting progressively harder to move, but she ignored the screaming protests of her muscles and forced herself to go even faster. Naraku fled, or so it seemed as he drifted backwards to avoid the arcs of golden energy that Kagome released from her claws. Instead of running however, he ripped his cloak away, revealing a thin body, long black hair and a pale face, and allowed it to be shredded by her claws before he lunged towards her.

She bit back a yelp of pain as Onigumo's sword tore a hole through her right shoulder. Still in shock from being stabbed, and slowly sinking to her knees, Kagome collapsed completely when Naraku swung the blade upwards, causing the wound to grow in height until she no longer had a hole in her shoulder and instead was left with a long wound that reached from the top of her right shoulder straight down to the top of her right breast. Had it been a few inches farther to the right it would have severed her arm.

Kagome gasped, noticing her vision blur further. At the same time a dull roar began in the back of her head, making her strain to hear any other sounds, like the voices of the brothers as they spoke. The poison from Onigumo's sword now flowed dangerously through her blood stream. She knew his poison was strong. Likely the strongest she'd ever come across, more deadly even than Sesshoumaru's.

If she didn't finish this soon she would die.

'_I won't let him get away,' _she promised herself, although she now barely had the strength to lift her head.

Naraku still stood over her, the sword now resting at his hip and the shield in hand. She plunged two fingers into the river of blood that poured from her shoulder, bringing her crimson coated digits in front of her face a moment later and swinging them towards the smirking demon in front of her. He didn't seem fazed by her attack, blocking it easily with Onigumo's shield.

"Pathetic," Naraku grunted, kicking her injured shoulder and smirking when she cried out in pain. He then turned to walk away, not bothering to watch her as he began his departure.

She struggled for a moment, somehow managing to find her feet again. She may have been freed from Onigumo's possession when Naraku had stabbed her, but now she was fighting off the growing urge to let unconscious close in. Her world was spinning around her but she refused to give up, she couldn't give up. She staggered forwards, her right hand, still covered in her own blood, closing tightly over her scythe's staff which she had used to pull herself up. She leapt forward, unbalanced but still somehow managing to swing the weapon at Naraku. He turned just in time to see her and again blocked her attack with the shield, seemingly amused by her attempts.

'_Let me out,' _

A voice that wasn't her own whispered in her ear and she frowned, her eyes shifting back and forth as if looking for another besides herself and the two brothers. She didn't see anyone, but with the black patches appearing in her vision she wouldn't have known even if someone was standing right beside her.

'_I can help you, I can kill him…'_

Groaning she again tried to find the owner of the strange voice but her second attempt was cut short when Naraku pushed her back. She stumbled and then fell flat on her back, feeling the warmth of her own blood as it poured freely from her wound and pooled beneath her body.

'_Release me!' _

Naraku was standing over her again, apparently having decided to wait until she died, and unfortunately she knew that time wasn't very far away. But despite the knowledge that she was quickly dying, and knew for a fact that it was inevitable, she could feel something, a new kind of strength, building within her chest, as if she were going to explode from the inside out. Her heart had started beating faster, and the warmth of her blood that had created a lake beneath her body was growing hotter. Confused by the new strength she felt coursing through her body she flexed her claws, and her eyes grew wide as she felt the length of them against the palms of her hands.

'_What…what's going on?'_ she asked herself, seconds before her vision grew red and unconsciousness finally closed in.

…

It was chaos.

There was no better way to say it.

Kazuo growled in frustration as he tore through another one of the thousands of demons that had launched an attack on them. With the help of his pack mates, and even many of the wolves that belonged to Koga's clan, he had narrowed that number down to hundreds, but not without multiple casualties on both sides.

He heard the banshee like screams of another approaching from behind before he saw it. He turned quickly and sliced its bird-like head from its body, grimacing in disgust, he shook the beast's blood from his claws before turning to face his next opponent. Instead he found himself looking into the worried, golden gaze of Satoshi, who shouted his name and then jabbed a clawed finger towards the sky.

Kazuo wordlessly followed the digit's direction until he caught sight of a man with long black hair, pale skin and red eyes as he flew over them. He wouldn't have recognized him if it hadn't been for the foul stench of miasma that trailed behind him and the remains of the white baboon pelt that clung to his shoulders.

"Naraku," he growled, but he hesitated to follow after the dragon, instead taking satisfaction at the sight of blood pouring from deep wounds on his body. Clearly Kagome had done a good deal of damage, and the hybrid had no doubt that she would be following Naraku out shortly, probably shouting orders at him as she ran past, but when he turned to look for her he didn't see the person he expected to.

Kagome stood above him on a rocky ledge, watching as Naraku disappeared into the darkness of night, no longer pursuing him. At least, he imagined it was Kagome. It was certainly her body and her clothes, but her eyes, which were usually a warm shade of blue, were now the color of blood.

"Kazuo," Momo's gentle voice spoke up from behind him and he turned towards her, seeing the horror written across her face as she too stared up at their friend. "Kazuo," she clung to his sleeve, "what's wrong with her? I've never seen her eyes look that way…"

"Neither have I," he told her honestly, exchanging a worried look with Satoshi who had yet to move from his side. Several other wolves, including some from Koga's pack, had stopped to stare curiously at her as well. She appeared the same aside from her crimson eyes, or at least that's what he thought at first. Upon closer inspection he noticed that her claws and fangs had lengthened significantly compared to their normal size. Even more worrisome however was the sight of a long, bloody opening reaching from her right shoulder down to her breast. Blood leaked from the wound at an alarmingly fast rate and he could smell the stench of Naraku's poison coming from the injury.

"Kagome," He called to her tentatively, "Say Kagome, is everything ok?"

He already knew that everything was most certainly not ok, but he only wanted to gain her attention, which he did. Her unfamiliar red gaze slowly drifted to meet his and his eyes grew wide when he saw her lips pull back in a fierce snarl at the sight of him. She had never looked at him so fiercely, and the look on her face was only intensified by her lengthened fangs and blood smeared face.

"Kagome…" he barely whispered, for the first time in a long time feeling absolute terror, but not for himself, for the safety of his cousin. He only had a second from the moment her name left his lips to push Momo out of the way and then leap out of the way himself before Kagome came crashing down on the spot where he had stood.

"Kagome," He called again, dodging her next attack as she flew towards him, claws extended. "What in the hells is wrong with you, cousin? Snap out of it!"

She didn't respond with words, only snarling viciously at him as she came after him again and again, showing no emotion when he stumbled and barely managed to make it out of the way of her long claws. The pair had had plenty of playful sparing matches in the past, but none of them had been anything like this. When they'd fought before it had been for practice and to test new skills, if they'd ever harmed each other in the past aside from insignificant cuts and scrapes it had been by accident and the match had been immediately brought to an end. Now things were different, much different. Kazuo had no doubt in his mind that Kagome, if she had the chance, would kill him.

'_Her scent has changed,'_ he noticed before dodging another of her ruthless attacks, having gotten close enough to her to pick out specific scents from her body, a hard task when the air was polluted with the strong smells of blood, poisons and the lesser demons that many of the wolves were still fighting. _'It's seems almost as if…' _he hesitated, _'she smells like a full blooded demon, but how is that possible?' _

He yelped as her claws cut into his chest, one hand quickly moving to cover the wound as blood was drawn, splattering against Kagome's face. She didn't seem to mind, he noticed, as she landed in a crouch several meters away, sniffing carelessly at the new blood on her claws.

'_This can't go on,'_ he decided quickly when she stood and started towards him again; _'I have to stop this now, before things get worse. Before…' _

He frowned when his eyes fell back to her shoulder wound. In just the short amount of time that he'd seen her since she'd emerged from the castle she'd lost enough blood to kill a full grown human. He may not know what exactly was wrong with her, but he knew that, even if she had somehow become a full blooded demon, she should be feeling the loss of that amount of blood, but that wasn't the case.

As she grew closer to him she broke into a run, then leapt high above him, intent on coming down on top of him. He stared up at her, bending his knees as he prepared to meet her half way. He waited until she'd started her descent, then, his fists clenched, he shot towards her with all of his strength.

They collided, Kagome's claws digging into his sides as he grabbed her injured shoulder tightly in one hand, shocked and worried when she didn't respond to what he knew had to be an intensely painful grip. He got over his shock quickly, fisting his opposite hand and punching her with such force in the side of the head that his entire body was pulled to one side. He heard her gasp and saw a brief flash of recognition in her crimson gaze before she collapsed against him, unconscious.

He landed a moment later with her limp body held securely in his arms, barely noticing as the rest of his pack mates surrounded them, concerned. "What…" he breathed, "what the hell just happened?"

…

Inuyasha blinked several times as he watched a young woman, clutching her daughter close to her chest with one arm and dragging her son along behind her with the opposite hand, run for the village. _'Funny,' _He thought, rather annoyed by their lack of what he imagined would have been a proper greeting,_ 'I thought they'd be happy to see me, but that woman looks as if she's just seen a ghost.' _

The pull of Shippou's weight as he made his way up to Inuyasha's shoulder a moment later was all that alerted the swordsman to his presence before he spoke. "What was wrong with that lady?" He asked bluntly, "she ran off like she's never seen you before. Are you sure you've got the right village, Inuyasha?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Inuyasha snarled over his shoulder at the child, grabbing him by the scruff of his furry vest and depositing him on the ground. His gaze flickered back to the village a moment later.

The woman he'd spotted earlier had been working in the field with her children when he called out to her, expecting a happy greeting in return. What he'd gotten was a terrified shout as she gathered her two children and took off for the village, followed shortly by a few others who had been working nearby. The tiny group of workers had since made it to the village and now stood in awe, watching him and whispering amongst themselves all while shielding their children from his sight.

'_What is wrong with them?'_ he thought, his brows furrowed in frustration and worry. _'I know this is the right place,'_ he reminded himself quickly, _'I'd be damned if I couldn't find my own home after living here for so many years, but…the kids right, it's as if they've never seen me before.' _

Finally, fed up with waiting for an answer to appear out of nowhere, he waved to his companions over one shoulder, wordlessly telling them to follow after him as he made his way towards the rows of houses. He could find his father or Myoga, one of them would certainly be able to explain just what had happened in his absence that had caused his own people to fear him. Even a single familiar face that wasn't filled with terror at the sight of him would be a comforting thing.

He didn't have to go far.

Inuyasha had barely made it to the first house when he caught sight of an orange and brown blur coming at him from the left. A second later he was tackled by a young girl, who he quickly recognized to be his sister. She clung to him wordlessly as he crouched down to gather her shaking body in his arms, only more alarmed now that he saw the tears running down her face.

"Rin…" he sputtered, dabbing clumsily at her wet cheeks with one sleeve, "come on, Rin…don't cry…"

She sniffed, rubbing her face on either one of her sleeves in a pointless attempt to stop the tears and then grabbing onto him again. "Aniki…" she whimpered, "I'm just happy you're ok…I thought…" she took a deep breath before continuing, "Kohaku-kun said that all of you had died."

Inuyasha felt all of the muscles within him grow ridged at the sound of his name and without thought he stood, pushing Rin away from him, albeit very gently, as he did so and taking both of her shoulders firmly in either hand. He looked her dead in the eye. "Kohaku," he repeated, "did you say Kohaku?"

Confused as to why her brother had become so serious suddenly she simply nodded, pointing one finger in the direction of the hut where he was being tended to. "Yeah," she explained, "he showed up a few days ago. He was hurt really bad but the doctor is taking good care of him…"

"He's alive…" Miroku whispered, his words barely heard by even those standing closest to him. The man glanced in the direction that Rin had pointed only a moment ago and without a second thought or a word to his companions he headed off in that direction.

Inuyasha watched him go from the corner of one eye, releasing a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding and then returning his gaze to his little sister. "Rin," he began, noting that she was about to start crying again. He swallowed and then gathered her into his arms again. "I'm ok. I'm sorry."

"Inuyasha,"

The swordsman glanced up to see Myoga making his way towards him. He walked with a slight limp, which was new, and looked as if he'd aged a few years in the months that Inuyasha had been gone, but aside from that he looked the same. A relived smile spread across the old man's features and his dark eyes brightened slightly at the sight of Inuyasha alive and well.

"It's good to see you back," he said, clapping a hand on the younger man's shoulder as he stood to greet his teacher. "Kohaku had us worried that something had happened to you and," he hesitated, his eyes drifting to the small party that stood behind Inuyasha, waiting patiently to be noticed, "where is Kagome?'

"She's fine," Inuyasha answered quickly, not missing the way Rin's eyes grew damp at the possible implication that something might have happened to her beloved half demon friend. The pair hadn't spent more than a handful of hours within each other's presence but it had been enough that Rin had developed a definite attachment to Kagome. It wasn't surprising. The hybrid had saved the little girl's life twice and on top of that was one of few female role models that Rin had in her life. Not that Kagome was someone Inuyasha would ever hope for Rin to mimic.

"She had some things that she needed to take care of," he explained, "she'll be back, eventually."

His words seemed to soothe Rin's worries for the moment and so she once again buried her face in Inuyasha chest as the two older men talked. Inuyasha gestured casually at the pair standing behind him, "that's Sango, Shippou's the brat and Miroku…he headed off to see Kohaku, I guess…we thought he had been…"

"I see," Myoga replied, his calm words cutting off those that didn't want to be spoken. The old man inclined his head twice to acknowledge both Shippou and Sango, speaking his name quietly as he did so that they knew who he was as well.

"These two are," he began uncertainly, glancing back towards Inuyasha, "a replacement until Kagome returns?"

"They're not a replacement," Inuyasha growled, displeased by the use of words, although even he didn't know why it bothered him. "They're with me because they want to destroy Naraku and," he words died in his throat and he scowled when he realized that Myoga, along with the rest of the villagers, was clueless as to who Naraku was and just why he was of any concern to them. He sighed. "I guess we have some things to discuss."

"Agreed," Myoga responded quickly, "there are things that you are likely unaware of as well, Inuyasha."

"Like what?" Inuyasha replied just as quickly, exchanging an uncertain look with his companions.

Myoga hesitated again, turning slightly to face the rest of the village before speaking, "we'll talk after you and your friends have gotten a chance to settle in and see Kohaku. I'll find you later once you've had time to relax."

…

_**AN: **__Heh, and you all thought this was going to be a battle between Kagome and Koga, didn't you? Didn't you? Well,____not much to say about this one. Sadly I have no preview this time because the next chapter isn't fleshed out enough yet and all the stuff I've written for it so far is either too spoiler-heavy or just plain boring. So, tuff, you'll all just have to wait for next time. ;) _

_Fun fact: The trees in the north that I was describing are the Japanese kaya tree, which of course grow mostly in southern Japan according to my resource. Oh well. I never claimed to be geographically correct. _

_Side note: When Kazuo asked Kagome if she was '_afraid to disappoint obasan' as he put it, he was referring to his aunt (obasan in Japanese), Kagome's mother, in case there was anyone who didn't figure that out.


	22. Chapter 22

_**AN:**__ So I was on break this past week and even though it didn't really seem like that much of a break since I was still busy with other things, I somehow managed to write a brand new flipping chapter for all of you! :D Isn't it AMAZING? I mean come on, none of you saw this coming right? Right? I didn't even see this coming actually. It hasn't even been a month since I last updated. I don't know what in the hell is wrong with me. :/ _

_Anyway, anyway…go read and I hope you all enjoy it! _

…

**Chapter 22: Priorities **

There was no doubt that the north had been completely devastated by Naraku's attack. Bodies were everywhere, covering the ground with a thick layer of flesh and blood so heavily that it was nearly impossible to see the earth below. The air was filled with the broken cries of those that were injured so badly that all they could do was wait for death to take them and of those that loved them that had no other choice then to sit nearby and watch. The scent of blood, death and poisons hung like a thick, heavy blanket in the sky, impossible to penetrate with even the strongest of pleasant scents and for those who were not completely absorbed by the pain from their wounds, the damp, hot air that surrounded them made their skin so sticky with sweat that it was nearly unbearable.

Somewhere over in the shadows of one tree that had been left standing, Kazuo sat tending to Kagome's wounds. His head was pounding from the overload on his sensitive ears and nose, but he stubbornly ignored the pain, too focused on keeping his cousin alive.

He was barely alert enough to hear the beating of Hoshi's feathered wings as she flew over to him. With her she carried a metal canteen, wrapped in a thick layer of worn, brown leather and plugged with a wooden cork. The canteen was nearly three times her size, but the weight didn't seem to bother her.

What bothered her was the sight of her two friends, nearly forgotten in the shadows and looking half dead from the earlier events of the day. Kagome, in fact, looked more and more like a corpse with every passing moment. Her lips were tinted a startling shade of blue, standing out in high contrast to the soft, pale color of the rest of her skin and the dark blood that had dried on her face. She hadn't moved an inch since Kazuo had knocked her out earlier, save for the barely noticeable movement of her chest as she breathed in and out.

Hoshi swallowed hard as she landed beside Kagome's head, leaving the canteen on the ground forgotten as she walked up to press a tiny hand against her companion's cheek. She drew it back quickly, startled by the chill of Kagome's flesh even though she'd expected it. She clutching her offended hand to her chest and glanced up at Kazuo, who had returned to working on the older hybrid's injuries once she had landed beside him.

"How is she?" the fairy asked.

Although it was rather obvious just by looking, and she didn't really want to hear the reality spoken from Kazuo's lips, the words had fallen out of her mouth without her control. There wasn't anything else she could think to say in that moment, and yet she needed to hear him speak so badly, even if it wasn't the words she wanted him to say. After all, he would have to lie straight to her face and think her a fool if he told her what she really wanted to hear.

Kazuo glanced up at her briefly. She looked as exhausted as the rest of the pack, even more so actually due to the fact that she'd been pushing herself past her limit again and again since the attack, trying to heal everyone that she could with little success. The young hybrid glanced down again, looking for a suitable answer to Hoshi's question. One that was the truth, and still gentle enough to not leave them both feeling completely hopeless.

His eyes fell on his right hand, claws soaked in Kagome's blood and resting beside what was by far the worst of her injuries. The wound, which he'd assumed had been caused by Naraku's recently stolen sword, drew a clean cut vertically from her right shoulder down to the beginning of the rise in her right breast.

The stench that rose from the injury had already told him much earlier that there was poison heavily polluting her blood stream, although he didn't really need his nose to tell him that. The way her blood had turned black as it leaked from her body had been enough to tell him that something was definitely wrong and that he needed to act, fast.

Unfortunately he wasn't an expert, or even experienced in the slightest when it came to taking care of another's injuries. He was, after all, a half demon and associated himself most of the time with other hybrids like himself or full blooded demons. Therefore he had absolutely no reason to be concerned with the best methods of healing wounds, or in this case, removing copious amounts of poison from one's body when he was used to the body taking care of the healing process all by itself.

That didn't change the fact that Kagome needed his help. She had far too much poison swimming in her veins for her body to fix itself without outside assistance, even he could see that, so he did the only thing that made sense to him. He'd torn strip after strip of cloth from his clothes until his top was barely there and used it as a tunicate to tie off her injury and then he'd let it bleed as much as he could. In between helping those of his pack mates that he could and trying to tend to his own wounds he'd been constantly coming back to her side in order to reopen her injuries.

It was a constant battle thanks to Kagome's demon blood, which had other ideas about what was best for the body it inhabited and fought hard against him to close the open wounds as quickly and efficiently as possible. Despite that, Kazuo's hard work seemed to be paying off, however slowly. Since he'd began, Kagome's blood had gradually returned to a lighter shade, no longer black and oil like and instead, a darker than normal shade of crimson red. The terrible stench had yet to lessen however and so he continued ripping open her wound every so often.

She'd thank him for it later. Or at least, he hoped she would, but she'd have to survive first.

Kazuo sighed, digging his claws into his cousin's flesh again, grimacing as her blood rose to soak his entire hand in its warmth. When he'd cut her open again enough to satisfy himself he pulled his hand back and wiped it casually across his bare chest.

He sat back, arms folded across his chest and regarded the fairy seriously for a moment before he finally answered her question with the honesty he knew she wanted him to avoid. "There's no way of knowing," he said, gesturing at the gaping wound as if to make sure the fairy saw it, although it was impossible to miss. "She's alive. That's plenty to be happy about for now. We can only do what we know how and hope that she has the strength to take care of the rest herself."

Hoshi nodded, backing up a few paces and taking a seat on the canteen she'd brought with her. Her worried gaze lingered on Kagome a moment longer, then it switched to him. "Kagome's far too stubborn to die. She'll wake up soon, I know she will," the fairy lied, "how are you holding up?"

Kazuo only shook his head, already declining the offer he knew was on the tip of her tongue. She'd already spent plenty of her energy to heal those of the wolves that weren't already too far gone. He didn't need her wasting her energy worrying over him too.

"I'm fine," he assured her before she could protest, "if you have any energy left to use your powers you should use it on those who really need it. My injuries are already on their way to being nothing but memories. They're far from being anything the likes of you need to worry about."

Hoshi looked disappointed, but she remained seated comfortably on the canteen despite herself, not bothering to try and heal him when he didn't want it. He would only bat her away much the same way Kagome would have had she been awake, and refuse to hold still long enough for her to do any good.

"Fine," she grumbled, "the two of you are so alike sometimes it's amazing, and mostly when it comes to being stubborn."

Kazuo managed a weak smile at that, "we are cousins," he pointed out, "we should be alike."

"I know, I know," Hoshi replied, standing from her seat and pulling the canteen around in front of her, "but as long as you've got nothing better to do then sit here and watch paint dry, you should dig up that medicine that Kagome always carries around and use it on yourself. It won't do much for her, but it could help your wounds along and then I wouldn't have to worry quite as much."

"I was going to do that," Kazuo admitted, his tone unconcerned as he went on, "but she doesn't have it with her."

Hoshi, so startled by his words, nearly pulled the canteen on top of herself. She would have in fact if Kazuo's quick hand hadn't grabbed it and tugged it away from her loose grip just in time. He frowned down at her, raising a questioning eyebrow as he dropped the canteen gently into his lap.

"What's so surprising about that?"

"Well," The fairy squirmed slightly, "she always has it with her is all…"

Kazuo didn't look any more worried by the missing container of medicine then he had moments ago. He shrugged one shoulder weakly. "Yeah, I guess so," he went on, "I think she must have left it with her human pack…that or she dropped it somewhere…"

Hoshi rolled her eyes, "as if Kagome wouldn't know if it dropped…"

"She wouldn't have if it was when she was in that crazy state from earlier," Kazuo pointed out, eyes growing hard. "She was so different back then. She was like a monster, as blood thirsty and brainless as any of those other bastards out there that only have one thing on their minds."

Hoshi hesitated briefly, glancing up at the young hybrid from underneath her bangs. His hands were fists in his lap, his eyes had grown dark and angry and his jaw was tight. _'Are you afraid?'_ she asked him silently, _'afraid of becoming like that yourself?' _

"That's exactly what she was, Kazuo," she told him gently, knowing it wouldn't ease his nerves any.

Kazuo turned away for a moment, as if not wanting her to see him the way he was. Then his head whipped back towards her a second later, as if he'd realized something important. "Why does it matter if she has it or not?"

The fairy winced, squirming under his demanding gaze. If it wasn't for his acute senses he wouldn't have suspected a thing from her, but unfortunately his ears could hear the quickened beat of her heart and his nose could pick up the slightest change in her scent. For those same reasons she knew there was no point in trying to lie to him.

"Well," Hoshi began slowly, rubbing at her arm and glancing in his direction briefly before her eyes dropped to the ground. "The medicine has her mother's blood in it, you know that right? It's what makes it so effective in closing wounds quickly…"

"And?" The young hybrid probed.

"And," the fairy hesitated again, then went on, "it's that presence of her mother's blood that's kept her from transforming like that before."

Hoshi glanced up at him then, watching as he thought this through carefully. She spoke again before he had time to open his mouth and question her any further, "it's a long explanation, Kazuo," she told him, "we'll talk more another time if you want, but for now…hand me that canteen."

He seemed surprised by her request, but did as she said anyway, reaching across Kagome's still body to hold the canteen out for her to take. Instead of grabbing it like he'd expected her to, she took the wooden cork in both hands and, with a good deal of effort, pulled it out.

Kazuo jerked back so hard when the foul scent hit him that he nearly dropped the canteen. He most likely would have too, had Hoshi's tiny hands not been there to steady his, and had her intense gaze not convinced him that it was a bad idea.

"It smells worse than anything I've ever experienced!" He exclaimed, looking only slightly relieved when Hoshi's hands left his in order to replace the cork, although she didn't plug it completely and only set it on top of the canteens opening to block to fumes passageway. "Why didn't you warn me?"

"Sorry," she said with a sheepish smile, but it only lasted a second before she was trying to pass it off to him again with a somehow convincing look. "I know it's horrible," she admitted, turning a bit green herself, although her sense of smell wasn't even one hundredth as good as Kazuo or Kagome's, "but I need you to make her drink it."

The look he shot her next spoke volumes about what he thought of her idea. All of those thoughts, she was sure, were likely centered on how crazy he thought she was right then. After all, if Kagome got so much as a whiff of the contents of the canteen, while she was awake anyway, she'd likely be miles away before anyone could even think to get it close enough to make her taste it. Injured and nearly dead or not.

"It's medicine," Hoshi explained, hoping to convince him somehow that it was a good idea, though he still didn't look convinced. "It's meant to purge poisons from the system. Hopefully it will work for her now like it did when…" she paused, "after her father died."

"How did you get her to drink it back then?"

Hoshi gave him an incredulous look, as if to ask if he seriously believed she was strong enough to complete such a task as feeding the foul smelling liquid to an unruly, young half demon. "I didn't," she replied quickly, "her mother did. Kikyou helped too I think, but only because Misako asked."

A moment later the smile turned to a frown and she reached out a hand to brush Kagome's bangs away from her face. She was still cold to the touch, her skin was still as pale as if it were covered in snow, but they had to have hope that she would pull through just like she always did.

"It's the last thing I can think of to help her," she gave Kazuo a pleading look, "please."

The hybrid sighed, glancing down at his cousin's unmoving body. If she forgave him for ripping a hole in her shoulder every couple minutes maybe she could forgive this too. Taking a moment to mentally prepare himself, he pulled off the cork and nodded.

"Fine."

…

Inuyasha sucked in a sharp breath and exhaled as he stepped outside the hut and onto the porch. He'd just spent the last hour or two sitting beside Miroku, Sango and Shippou and listening to the village doctor as he briefed them on Kohaku's condition. It was obvious just by looking at the young man that he was in bad shape, but from the doctor's explanation Inuyasha had come to assume that Kohaku had taken the worst damage from that explosion several weeks ago. As the doctor himself had said, 'it was a miracle that he survived. Much more of one when considering that he also made it back to the village by himself.'

Kohaku had remained unconscious for the duration of the visit thanks to a medical herb of some sort that he had been given upon his arrival in the village. But asleep or not, it had put Inuyasha's mind at ease to see the youngest human member of his team, and perhaps even the youngest member all together when taking into account Shippou's demon blood, recovering from his wounds. It would be several more days until the medicine completely wore off and the young man would be expected to wake. By then, hopefully most of his body would have healed itself to the point that his pain was at least bearable. If not, then the medicine Kagome had loaned Inuyasha, which he had now given to the doctor, would take care of the rest.

'_That guy's been through a lot in his life, hasn't he?' _Inuyasha asked himself, glancing back towards the door with a frown. The others were still inside, watching while the doctor changed Kohaku's bandages and applied the medicine that Inuyasha had just offered. _'That only makes me more certain that he'll make it out okay,' _he thought, _'he's tough.'_

With that reassuring thought in mind the swordsman stepped off the porch, stuffing his hands in his pockets and dragging his feet as he pointed himself in the direction of his father's home. Myoga had come by earlier to ask Inuyasha to stop there when he was done. It wasn't a visit he was looking forward too, but the look on Myoga's face had assured him it was not a request but an order and despite his reluctance to go, he knew that there were things that needed to be discussed between them.

Inuyasha's frown deepened as he pushed aside the reed door and stepped into his father's home. His old man sat across the steadily dying fire from Myoga, his body seated parallel to the door, arms and legs folded neatly. He didn't bother to even look up when his son stepped through the door, but that wasn't what caught Inuyasha's attention.

He looked older.

He was of course, but it hadn't been more than a month and a half since Inuyasha had last seen him and yet his hair, which had been a salt and pepper shade of dark gray when Inuyasha left, was now almost white. The young swordsman couldn't help but think that he looked even closer in appearance to the deceased dog god, whose blood he carried in his veins, now then he had ever before. Although his wrinkled face proved that he was still mostly human and much more hindered by the passing of years then a full blooded demon ever would be.

He was also injured, or at least that's what the bandages poking out from underneath his clothes and covering his cheeks and forehead implied. While Inuyasha had seen his father bandaged and bloody multiple times before it still shocked him. Perhaps because of the older man's obviously aging body.

"Otoosama…" Inuyasha began slowly as he came to sit down in front of the fire pit, "you…wanted to see me?"

The older man nodded, glancing up for the first time since his son had entered the room. He seemed surprised, however briefly, as his eyes landed on Inuyasha and then rose expectantly to the door but found no one else.

"Where is Kagome?"

Inuyasha scowled, annoyed that Myoga hadn't already passed on his information to his father, "she had some things to take care of." He replied tightly, "she'll come back when she's ready."

Taisho seemed to consider this for a moment before saying, "so she returned to the northern kingdom."

Inuyasha blinked several times in surprise, "You…you knew?" he sputtered, although his shock only lasted for a handful of seconds. Ashamed at his own stupidity the youngest of the three men then shook his head, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against his own fist. "Never mind," he grumbled, "of course you knew. Why didn't you tell me?"

Taisho's eyes narrowed, "it was unimportant."

"Unimportant my ass," Inuyasha snapped back, his head jerking up as he glared at his father, "She's a fucking god! You didn't think it was important to tell me what I was working with? Or better yet, what I am?" He jabbed a finger towards his own golden eyes for emphasis, "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

Taisho remained unbothered by his son's unruly behavior, "are you disappointed?"

"Disappointed in _what_?" Inuyasha snapped.

"In your strength," his father answered firmly, "in your ability to heal quickly, survive injuries that no human would be able to, to wield the Tessaiga, one of the strongest swords Japan has ever seen. Are you angry at me for giving that to you?"

"I…" Inuyasha left hand found Tessaiga's hilt and he glanced down at the blade, resting comfortably in its sheath at his side. Was he disappointed? If he'd had a choice now would he have changed the way things had worked out? Would he give up his abilities to be normal again? To be human?

"No."

Without bothering to address the subject again, Taisho turned his eyes to the man sitting quietly across the fire from him. "Myoga said that you had mentioned the name '_Naraku'_ upon your return…" he began slowly, turning back to his son, "you speak of the dragon monster that wishes to revive his older brother, Onigumo."

"Uh…" Inuyasha frowned, again surprised by his father's knowledge of the situation, although he quickly realized that that too should have been expected, "yeah."

"If you know of him then am I to assume he has begun his collection of the three treasures?" Taisho asked, waiting for Inuyasha's nod of confirmation to go on, "And? How far has he gotten?"

"He took Onigumo's sword from the south…" Inuyasha answered bitterly, his knuckles turning white from his tightening grip on the Tessaiga. "He'll probably be trying to steal the other two treasures soon enough. That is if he hasn't tried already."

Myoga sighed, "Perhaps, Takahashi-sama, this is partially to blame for the increased demon activity."

"Increased demon activity?" Inuyasha asked, looking towards the old man with wide eyes, "since when?"

"It's been a handful of weeks since the first unusual attack, there have been several since then," Myoga replied easily, gesturing across the fire towards Inuyasha's father, "the latest attack nearly cost Takahashi-sama his own life—"

"That is also unimportant," Taisho interrupted, addressing his friend with a scowl before he turned back to his son. "It has been as if the full moon is upon us every single night. We have taken more damage to the barrier then we can allow already, something must be done. They're getting too close to the jewel."

Inuyasha winced.

He knew the protective barrier his father spoke of was the one that had been placed on the Shikon no Tama by the priestess, Midoriko. The barrier kept any demon from touching the jewel, although humans, or most humans anyway, were able to handle it without a problem. Unfortunately the barrier wouldn't last forever and as it grew weaker, it grew less effective and the distance at which it repelled demons became shorter. With every demon attack the barrier would deteriorate further, no matter the strength of the beast.

The obvious answer would have been to have the priestess restore the barrier to its full strength again, however that was impossible. Midoriko had died at the same time she created the jewel itself and the barrier that protected it. They had to come up with a new way to make sure the jewel was kept away from the wrong hands.

In the meantime, the village had vowed to protect it with all of their strength, even if it meant their demise in the end, and it very likely would if the jewel was stolen. The entire reason behind the nearly constant watch of the Shikon no Tama was due to the barrier's ever weakening state. It was only a matter of time before the barrier would break completely, and whatever lucky bastard was closest could grab it and take it as their own, gaining unimaginable power.

'_But that's not enough anymore,' _Inuyasha thought, his eyes drifting to the fire pit in front of him as if expecting to find answers there, but nothing came. _'Damn it…the barrier would have lasted longer if I hadn't messed up so bad back then…' _

He shook his head furiously, clearing those painful memories from his mind. He didn't need to go there now, or ever again for that matter. He needed to focus. He needed to come up with a plan to protect that in which his people had sworn to keep safe.

"Inuyasha," Myoga began, waiting for the young man's attention before going on, "we didn't bring you here because we expected that you would know better what to do then any of the rest of us. We just wanted to warn you of what fate might be upon us in the near future."

Inuyasha grunted in response, his furious golden gaze again returning to the fire pit.

Myoga sighed, exchanging a look with his old friend and then standing. "I know you've only just returned," he said, "but if you have the strength we would appreciate your assistance in guarding the Shikon no Tama. Much of the rest of our strength has been spent lately due to the attacks."

Inuyasha didn't have to be told twice.

He silently climbed to his feet and turned to escape the suddenly hot and cramped room. He'd been far too slow to bury the memories of his past with the Shikon no Tama back into the dark corners of his mind. They had resurfaced with a vengeance and he knew they'd be hanging around for a while. He needed to be alone, to get some fresh air or better still, he needed to kill something.

For the first time in a long time, he hoped it was going to be a busy night.

…

Kagome moaned as she pushed herself off the wall again and continued onward, gripping her poorly bandaged shoulder in one hand as she made her way deeper into the castle. She wasn't making great progress. In fact, she'd only made it about three meters since her last rest, but she couldn't be expected to get very far very fast with the state she was in. Her shoulder injury was still bleeding, having turned the once white strips of cloth that Kazuo had carefully wrapped her in red long ago. Her head was pounding too, but it wasn't as much due to her extensive injuries as it was due to that wretched liquid Kazuo had forced down her throat.

'_Fucking bastard, I would have been better off without that shit,'_ she cursed silently as she stopped again, turning so that she could rest her back against the wall behind her. Despite her exhaustion she remained standing, knowing that if she let herself collapse completely the chances of her getting back up any time soon would be close to null.

He was likely looking for her by now. More than that, he probably had any wolf that had legs searching for her at this point.

She'd waited ever so patiently for him to leave her side once she'd woken up. It had taken quite a while and nearly all of her energy just to convince him she wasn't going to try anything stupid, like get back inside the castle on her own for example. All of her claims that she'd keep herself safe were false of course, but it was his own fault for believing her in the first place, or at least that's the way she looked at it.

She cringed as she felt bile rise in her throat for what felt like the millionth time and rolled along the wall until she was facing the opposite direction, supporting herself with her uninjured shoulder as she proceeded to empty the contents of her stomach. There wasn't any food left in her gut to remove. Now all that came up was bile, which burned her throat painfully, and blood. Lots of blood. At least it had a better taste and a better smell now that she considered it, then that medicine she'd had forced down her throat earlier.

She waited only a moment longer to make sure her stomach had settled enough for her to move again before turning and pushing off the wall again. She had to keep going, otherwise Kazuo or one of the other wolves could find her and stop her before she made it to her destination and she knew better then to think she could fight any of them off the way she was now.

A small piece of her felt bad that she'd betrayed Kazuo's trust. The rest of the pack, those of them that cared whether she lived or died anyway, were worried for her as well she knew and if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that she'd be in for the tongue lashing of her life when she got back. If she got back alive that is. She had more important things to worry about right now though. Much more important things.

She forced herself to move faster when she saw the first signs of a scuffle within the tunnel. Her body protested, and she could feel the warmth of fresh blood leaking down her side and the bile rising again in her stomach, but she kept moving. She had to see it, she had to know.

'_The shield…' _she thought, forcing herself to hold back the next wave of vomit that tried to rise up, _'please…please let me have been able to stop him…please…' _

She hadn't remembered a thing when she'd woken up, although at first she had been so occupied by screaming profanities at her cousin that she hadn't really considered her loss of memory. Once she had managed to get most of the taste from her mouth and after Kazuo had kindly provided her with a drink in attempt to help the process along, she had taken in her surroundings and been completely mystified as to when and how she'd gotten out of the castle.

She'd remembered the look on his face when she'd said that. The way he'd sucked in a sharp breath and refused to speak when she'd asked him to enlighten her. Instead he'd sat beside her, staring quietly at his hands folded in his lap. It wasn't like him to keep secrets, especially from her, but she hadn't bothered him too much about it. Mostly because she was too exhausted to hold a decent conversation anyway.

What he had told her was that she'd succeeded in chasing Naraku from the castle and that, from the brief look Kazuo had gotten of him, he looked like he was in poor shape. Kazuo also hadn't seen the shield anywhere in Naraku's possession, but because he couldn't give her a sure answer she had to find out herself. After all, if Naraku had stolen the shield, if she had failed, then he now had two of the treasures he had been searching for.

He needed all three to revive his brother, but she didn't plan to let him get that close. She wouldn't rest easy until he had none and preferably until he was dead.

Kagome let out a relieved breath of air and nearly collapsed on the spot when she caught sight of the large, black plate that she recognized as Onigumo's shield sitting in the rubble. She huffed as she turned to press her back firmly against the wall once more, allowing her body to rest now that she'd found out the truth.

'_Thank whatever gods are up there,' _she thought as she closed her eyes, if only for a moment, _'if there are any.' _

Whatever had happened down here in the deep, dark tunnels beneath the castle, she may never know, but the shield had been kept from Naraku's hands. She remained where she was for several minutes, sucking in deep breaths of air and attempting to get her heart rate to return to its normal speed. Her head was spinning from her exertion and blood loss though and that feeling sick wasn't lessening any.

"Shit…" she whispered as she felt her body sinking towards the ground, "I can barely…"

"So you've returned."

Despite the way her entire body seemed to be working against her she managed to pull herself up to stand straight again. Still supporting herself on the wall, Kagome turned in the direction the voice had come, baring her fangs. The voice was weak, much weaker than she remembered hearing it last time, but perhaps that was because Naraku was no longer nearby to lend his strength. Neither was Onigumo's sword.

"Onigumo…" she greeted, snarling, "I'll be damned if I let Naraku get within miles of you again."

"So you know me," the voice chuckled, weak but amused. "Very good, for a half breed."

Her snarls rose a few octaves as she stepped away from the wall, "I wouldn't be talking crap from your current position, bastard."

"Really?" The shield taunted. Even trapped within a plate of scales Onigumo seemed confident. "What are you going to do? The way you are now? You're stepping up to death's door already…by the time you drag yourself over here you might as well be walking right through it.

"It would be so easy for me to take control of your mind." He chuckled, "I could control you, just like my brother tried to before you were so weak, it wouldn't be difficult now. Then I could have you destroy all the rest of the wolves, your entire pack…and those pathetic humans you seem to enjoy so much…"

He was right.

She realized this painfully as she looked down at her body. She had nearly spent all that she had just making it from where Kazuo had left her to the run down walls she stood beside now. At this rate she'd consider herself extremely lucky if she could make it back out before she bled to death. She was certainly not in any shape to be fighting off any possessive abilities the shield might have either. Fortunately she still had adrenaline on her side, and even if it killed her, she was determined to shut Onigumo up until she, or someone else in the case of her death, could deal with him properly.

She glared at the shield again and then her eyes rose up to the walls and ceiling surrounding her. During her battle with Naraku they seemed to have taken quite a beating. Several large cracks ran up the sides and continued over her head and there were piles of large rocks that had already fallen from where they once helped to create the tunnel's walls and ceiling, not to mention the entire foundation of the castle itself. It wouldn't take much too completely cave in the area and while she was sure Onigumo's shield was plenty powerful enough to survive such, she knew it would, at the very least, make finding him a little more difficult. For Naraku or for anyone else who might be stupid enough to fall into any illusions or traps that he could potentially create.

The only question was whether or not she could make it out of here alive once she broke down the walls surrounding her. _'Only one way to find out,'_ she told herself grimly, then directed her attention to the shield, who had since fallen quiet. "Even if I can't destroy you now," she said, raising her left fist to the wall beside her, "I'll be damned if I can't at least shut you up for a while. And I'd rather die trying then not try at all."

With that said, she slammed her fist into the rock beside her.

…

They still hadn't found her after over an hour of searching, and with every second that ticked by Kazuo and his fellow pack mates were getting more and more anxious.

'_How on earth can she escape us? There are a hundred of more wolves here and yet none of them, myself included, have been able to even pick up even a hair of her scent,'_ a furious growl rose from his throat, _'as covered in blood as she was…that should only make it that much easier!' _

He had only left her side for a few minutes to check on the status of other members of his pack, but that had been plenty of time for her to slip away, somehow undetected by anyone. She had promised him she wouldn't do anything stupid. That had been the only reason he hadn't roped anyone else into watching her when he stepped away, but he really should have known better. She was a master at many things, making convincing lies and avoiding being found when she didn't want to be were two of them.

That's why he was now searching for her along with the rest of the wolves that hadn't been injured so badly that they couldn't move. But the longer it took the more he was beginning to realize that it was a hopeless effort. After all, if there was one person he knew that could get by without their scent being picked up by even some of the best noses out there, it was Kagome. After all, how many years had she survived on her ability to outsmart her enemies? To be able to avoid being detected by those that wanted her dead?

She'd been learning and perfecting that skill since before he could remember. In fact, he was nearly positive she'd already had a pretty decent ability to avoid being found before he was ever born.

'_And now that skill might just kill her,'_ he thought with a frown, kicking the remains of a lesser demon, one of thousands who had attacked when Naraku had, in frustration. _'Come on, come on, I know her well enough…think…where did she go?' _

The answer seemed so obvious once it came to him that he nearly smacked himself across the face for being so stupid. This wasn't the time to berate himself for slow thinking however, he had had a lot on him mind lately after all.

He turned towards the castle just in time to see the first tremor roll through it.

His eyes narrowed as dust began to rise from the base of the building, more tremors following the first and only growing bigger, "What in the fuck is going on…?"

"_Kazuo!" _

Kazuo's head snapped to the side to see Satoshi barreling towards him in his wolf form. His golden eyes wide with terror. _"Kazuo,"_ he said again once he was closer, swinging his massive black head back towards the castle once as if the be sure and then looking up again at his leader, _"the castle is collapsing!" _

A moment passed in which he felt entirely too shocked to so much as even speak a word much less move his feet.

The building was collapsing. The entire castle was crumbling to the ground, surrounded in a dark cloud of dirt and smoke. The ground had already begun to shake violently from the force of the building coming down upon in, almost enough to knock some of the less stable wolves off of their feet, and the sound of crushing rock was nearly deafening to his ears.

"Kagome…" he whispered, earning a worried look from his pack mates who had by now surrounded him to watch the destruction. _'There's no way she can get herself out of there in the state she's in,'_ he thought desperately, kicking himself into gear and racing towards the collapsing castle, _'Kagome, what in the hell are you thinking?!' _

…

Miroku raised an eyebrow and turned as he heard the telltale signs of Inuyasha's return. Seconds later the swordsman stomped around the corner of the shrine that housed the Shikon no Tama, a furious scowl painted across his face.

"Are you hurt?" He asked innocently.

Inuyasha glared at him, "as if I'd let that piece of shit touch me." he griped, "you'd think these bastards would have something better to do with their lives then attack the shrine over and over again."

"They're drawn to the jewel even more so now that the barrier has weakened," Miroku pointed out wisely, although his explanation was unnecessary. If fact, it had been Inuyasha that had explained not that long ago the presence of the barrier that had once been placed on the jewel by the dead priestess.

"Perhaps Naraku does have something to do with it as Myoga-sama suggested," he went on, "it would only benefit him after all if the barrier was in the weakest state possible when he is ready to take it."

"What in the hell do you mean, 'when he is ready to take it'?" Inuyasha snapped, turning to face the hunter with narrowed golden eyes. "Don't you have any faith at all in the strength of the gods?"

"By that you mean 'don't you have any faith in Kagome', don't you?"

Both men turned towards the top of the stairs that lead up to the shrine in surprise at the sound of a new and very much female voice. Sango waved to them casually as she ascended the last of many steps and walked over to them. She was dressed in her battle garb, Hiraikotsu slung over one shoulder and Kirara perched on the other.

"Why Sango, you've come to join us on this lonely, dark night," Miroku announced pleasantly, but the excited spark in his warm eyes wasn't missed by either of his companions, "what a nice surprise."

The woman hesitated, glancing once at the perverted monk before shifting the strap of her boomerang bone on her shoulders so that the weapon rested more comfortably on her back. Or perhaps it was warning to the pervert to keep his hands to himself. Either way, Miroku seemed to understand her meaning and with a nervous chuckle he returned his eyes to the sky.

"It sounded like you guys could use some help out here," she began, nodding in the direction of the forest, "there's been a lot of activity tonight, hasn't there?"

"We don't need your help," Inuyasha replied gruffly, "and that's not what I meant, Kagome isn't the only god that still has a treasure to guard."

Sango shrugged, unconcerned as she stepped closer to the shrine, pulling open the door gently to peek inside. Her eyes grew wide as they fell on the Shikon no Tama, hung on a waist high pedestal by a chain of white crystals and glowing a warm, pure shade of pink.

"It's really here…" she breathed.

"Cut it out," Inuyasha snapped, reaching out to slide the shrine's screen back into place. "You don't need to be opening it like that!" he barked, "who knows if it'll attract even more monsters…"

As if reacting on queue to his words another beast leapt at them from the forest. This time it appeared as some sort of amphibian demon. Its skin was dark and damp looking and its entire body was littered with small spines. It landed a handful of feet away on all fours, mouth gaping to reveal several rows of sharp teeth.

"The jewel…" in moaned, "give me the jewel…"

Inuyasha reached for his Tessaiga, but before he could draw the blade Sango had already thrown her Hiraikotsu and cut open the beast, killing it. She glanced at Inuyasha over her shoulder once she was sure it was dead. She didn't look impressed, "you don't need my help?"

Inuyasha snorted, folding his arms across his chest, "I could have taken care of it if you weren't in the way."

Miroku smiled, "Don't listen to him, Sango," he said gently, ignoring the swordsman's protests, "we appreciate your assistance on a night like tonight."

"Good to know somebody does…" She began, but her words drifted off as she suddenly caught sight of an unusually dark patch of night sky. It was only second before she realized that it wasn't the sky she was looking at, but a large mass of demons.

"Look there," she pointed, directing the two men's attention to the herd quickly approaching them, "get ready!"

Kirara dropped from Sango's shoulder and landed in front of the trio, an angry howl raising in her throat as she was engulfed in a ball of flames. She emerged a moment later in a much larger body and turned her head to look back at her master. Sango nodded her head in response to the unspoken question and leapt onto the two tailed cat's back, gripping her long mane of neck fur as they leapt into the sky.

Inuyasha meanwhile stood at the edge of the tall staircase, his eyes locked on the approaching herd of demons. There was something different about the way they were coming in, besides the direction. Normally even large groups like the one coming now would attack from behind the shrine, hoping to catch the jewel's human defenders off guard, but now were coming from the front. That wasn't the only thing that had the swordsman on high alert however.

"They're…" he began, horror leaking into his voice as he realized what was happening, "they're descending too quickly…they're planning to attack the village first…"

…

A handful of days had passed since the castle had fallen. For over a hundred years it had stood proud atop the highest mountain within the barrier, overlooking the rest of the northern kingdom. It had once been a place that, had a normal person been able to see it, they might have called it beautiful or powerful or amazing, but It was none of those things now. Now it was a pile of rubble.

Kagome sighed as she peeled her eyes away from the site of destruction to stare instead out at the setting sun. Since then she'd found out the truth of what she'd become that night.

Kazuo had told her.

He had said that her eyes had become the color of blood, her claws and fangs had grown longer and sharper and her scent had changed completely to that of a full blooded wolf demon. She'd attacked her own pack as if she'd never seen them before, specifically him, and acted as if she were a rabid animal bent on shedding as much blood as possible. It hadn't mattered whose.

He'd said it was no big deal. He'd told her that no one had been hurt badly and that her pack mates, him included, were happy just to have her back to the way she normally was. In fact, if anything she'd put enough fear into the other wolves that they'd respect her a little more now. But she didn't want their respect, not from something like that. And she certainly hadn't missed the way that Kazuo couldn't look her in the eyes the entire time he was reliving the experience through his words.

Then there was Koga.

No one had seen him since the night of Naraku's attack. Whether he'd run off, been seriously injured or even been killed was up for debate, although Kagome seriously doubted the ladder of those options. He was far too strong to be taken down by a herd of lesser demons like the ones that had attacked, no matter what the size, and as far as she was concerned he may have never even fought a single one of them, after all he'd been unconscious last time she'd seen him. It was very possible that his pack mates had found him right where she'd left him, gathered him up and took off like the cowards they were. Of course if that was true then Koga would be furious with them whenever he awoke, but it was the best explanation her mind could come up with for his missing presence.

'_Should have been awake to question his wolves before they took off,'_ she berated herself, although she knew it would have been impossible. She had been out cold from the extent of her wounds, but according to Kazuo some of Koga's wolves had been spotted in the shadows, searching the piles of bodies for their own and then carrying the dead away quietly. _'Then again,'_ she shook her head, _'it wouldn't have been right…I might hate Koga and want him dead but I won't disrespect those that have died, even if it was while they were fighting me.' _

She reclined against the trunk of the tree she currently rested in, stretching her left arm out behind her to support her head. Her right arm was still completely useless. The wound had finally closed thanks to several days of taking it easy, by no choice of her own, but despite the medicine she had been given, some poison still remained in her blood and its presence resulted in much slower healing.

Hoshi and Kazuo had given her a combined tongue lashing like none she'd ever experienced. Not only for destroying their home, but for voluntarily leaving their sight in the first place when she was in no shape to be moving on her own. She hadn't bothered to defend herself then. It wasn't as if either of them would have tolerated any of her excuses at the time anyway.

Instead, she'd waited patiently until they'd both calmed down before trying to explain why she'd wanted to, no, needed to see for herself whether or not she'd managed to protect the shield from Naraku's grasp. Had she failed to protect the treasure then things would already be much different, after all, he was already half way to reviving his brother. Letting him get any closer than that was unacceptable in her mind. Things were already too dangerous for them as it was and if he had succeeded, well, she didn't want to think about where they would be now.

Neither of the pair had seemed any less furious with her once she'd finished with her explanation, but it had at least gotten them to leave her alone. To a certain extent anyway. She could still feel their eyes on her no matter how far she went or how high she climbed, not just Kazuo and Hoshi's, but the eyes of her entire pack.

'_And speak of the devil,' _Kagome thought with a roll of her eyes as she turned to glance over one shoulder. Kazuo stood below her, looking skeptically up into the higher branches of the half-dead tree she'd chosen as a perch. She knew what that look was for. The tree barely looked sturdy enough to support a singing bird much less a full grown wolf hybrid, but somehow the weakened branches managed to hold her weight and she'd found a rather comfortable perch to rest on that overlooked the entire northern kingdom so she'd stayed.

"Say cousin," He called up to her, not daring to test the strength of the trees branches any more than she already was, "how are your injuries?"

Her eyes narrowed on him, telling him without words that his presence, for once, wasn't appreciated. She was grateful to him for risking his own tail in order to save her from being buried alive, which would have surly been her fate had he not arrived in the already collapsing tunnels when he did. She remembered him stopping to stare at her weakened body in awe for a fraction of a second before he leapt forward, grabbed her around the waist and took off for the exit. They'd both barely made it out before the entire building fell on top of them. Even gratitude had its limits however and right now she wanted nothing more than to be alone with her thoughts.

"The pack is worried," he continued when she said nothing, "I was worried too, that's why I came…"

"Go back to the others, Kazuo," she muttered, "they need you more than I do anyway…"

She heard him sigh and followed his movements curiously as he made his way closer to her tree and took a seat at the base. "I've been with them all day," he told her, "I came to spend some time with you."

Had he seen her face at that moment he would have noticed a slight, involuntary twitch in her right eye and a frustrated scowl cross her face. Neither lasted long and with a hopeless sigh the female hybrid turned away again, settling back on her branch and allowing her eyes to close. The pair remained together in a companionable silence for quite some time before they were disturbed again, this time by the strong, foul scent and endless chatter of a large herd of demons passing overhead.

Kagome growled as she lifted her head to watch the black mass as it grew closer. She had no reason to worry. These demons, even in the numbers they were in now, were far too weak to break through the barrier that protected the northern kingdom. They were however flying much closer to it than they had in the past couple of nights that she'd noticed them and her ears twitched atop her head to pick up a few of their slurred words.

"Shikon no Tama…" one groaned loudly as it weaved in and out of the crowd, "the Shikon no Tama will be mine…I will be the one to taste its power first…it will be mine…"

Kagome sucked in a sharp breath and before she even knew she was moving she had made it to her feet, balancing uncertainly on her branch before she leapt to the ground. _'They're after the jewel? All of them?'_ she asked herself, shocked by the number of beasts she counted before they disappeared above the clouds again.

She knew better then to think that demon's seeking the power of the Shikon no Tama were a rare thing, but she knew that they didn't usually come in massive groups like the one she'd just seen. After all, she'd spent a week living in the forest just outside Inuyasha's village and had seen for herself not only how often demon's attacked but also in what numbers. Even the group that had come after her on the first night of her arrival there, the night of the full moon which was, according to Inuyasha, usually a time of heavier attacks, hadn't been even a tenth of the size of the herd that had passed overhead moments ago.

"Kagome…"

The half demon's eyes turned to her cousin. He remained seated at the base of the tree she'd only moments ago been resting on, staring up at her with a knowing look. He could see all the emotions playing out on her face clearly. It wasn't as if she was trying to hide them from him.

"You're worried, huh?" He asked casually, "for your human pack? That things the demons were moaning about was theirs, right?"

Kagome remained silent.

Kazuo sighed as he stood up, brushing himself off and looking off in the direction the demons had been headed. "It would be good for you I guess if you went back to check on them, huh?"

Kagome's fists clenched at her side and a growl ripped from her throat as she spun to face him. "Idiot!" she snapped, "I can't, or haven't you noticed that I have a lot of shit to take care of right here?"

Kazuo shrugged his shoulders, his eyes not leaving the horizon. "Of course I've noticed," he went on, "I've also noticed that you're never happy here. I think at times like this…maybe you've got to figure out what your priorities really are and take care of those just to be happy…"

Kagome glared at him, "what are you talking about, cousin?"

"I told you already Naraku was pretty beat up when he took off. He won't be back for a while and even if he does come he'll have a hell of a time unearthing that shield thanks to you," Kazuo gestured over one shoulder towards the remains of the once tall castle, managing a weak smile, if only for Kagome's sake. "Koga probably will stay away for a while too. That is if he ever dares to show his face here again after you took care of him the way you did.

"The northern kingdom doesn't need you like it did before. The threats that were here, they're at least temporarily taken care of. The biggest thing to worry about is rebuilding the castle and with that shoulder still on the mend you're not any good for that kind of thing anyway."

Kagome stared dumbly at her cousin's back as he began to walk away. She'd already realized that he was, in an odd sort of way, trying to give her his permission to go back to where she wanted to be. Just when exactly her obligation to be by the side of and protect her human companions had changed to something much different she wasn't sure. She did know however that they were quite likely dealing with a lot of demon activity at the moment. Especially if all of the herds she'd seen moving in that direction as of lately were seeking the jewel's power, and while she didn't have a problem facing those kinds of numbers, humans grew tired and died a lot faster than her kind did.

"Kazuo…"

She didn't need his permission to leave, much less do anything else for that matter. She was older than him, higher on the pack hierarchy then him and when she didn't have the wounds she did at the moment she was stronger than him. She still appreciated his acceptance of what she was about to do however.

She smiled at him as she backed up towards the edge of the cliff, preparing to jump, "thanks."

"Yeah, yeah," He laughed, waving at her over one shoulder as he turned to continue back towards the rest of the pack. "Just hurry the hell up already and make sure you come back in one piece…"

…

_**AN: **__So, firstly, if any of you are ever poisoned by anything, and I hope you're not, please don't use the information in this story to help you determine what to do. Go to a doctor instead. Neither cutting open the wound so it can bleed or using a tunicate are likely good advice in this day and age, but since we're talking about a time 500 years in the past, this was the best method I could come up with. And I don't have a blood-sucking Myoga in this story so I had to have Kazuo improvise. ;) _

_Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, even if it was a bit on the slow side. The best part is that Kagome's headed back now so there's bound to be some action again when she gets reunited with the gang and who knows, maybe even some fluff…like this… _

_Chapter 23 (Reunion): _

"_Get out of those clothes," Inuyasha ordered, the words falling from his lips without thought as he dug through the drawer for bandages. Lots of bandages, he was going to need lots of bandages, he realized as he imagined the size of Kagome's wound. And a cold compress, he thought next as the short end of a log that had been waiting by the fire pit connected with his head. _

_Aren't they cuuuute? :D _


	23. Chapter 23

**AN:** Bet none of you saw that coming, did ya? ;) I know, I know this story is long overdue for an update, so I apologize for taking such a ridiculously long break on doing that…hopefully it's worth it? Well, even if it's not, it's here now so go on and read it and leave me a review to let me know what you think! :D

I even provided a little recap for everybody (so I don't get yelled at)!

**Review from chapter 21 + 22: **Kagome arrives on the northern territory and briefly begins a spar with Koga to reclaim the land for her own, however Naraku shows up with a large herd of demons to interrupt the wolf's war. Kagome takes chase and after a difficult battle where her demon blood surfaces for the first time, manages to badly injure him and keep him from stealing the treasure. Kazuo and Hoshi together manage to change her back to her normal half demon self and get her on the road to recovery…but she has a long road ahead of her. Meanwhile, Inuyasha and his group arrive back in the village to find Kohaku is actually alive and somehow managed to make it back on his own. On top of that, they're apparently ghosts that are back from the grave. Shortly after their arrival home the village is attacked by hundreds of demons. Kagome, who manages to overhear the voices of a herd passing overhead realizes that they could be in trouble and, despite still being in bad shape, runs off to help.

Also, here's little bitty reminder:

"_Woof"_ is animals and/or demons in their true form speaking

"Woof" is normal, human conversation

And _'woof'_ is someone's thoughts

Phew, ok….now you can go enjoy the latest installment of the story! Enjoy! :D

**Chapter 23: Reunion **

"Damn it," Kagome cursed as she ran, "I should have…I should have…"

Should have _what_, she wasn't sure. Since she'd left the cliff side and Kazou she'd been forcing herself to run as fast as she ever had, unconcerned for her own injuries. She hadn't stopped for anything, not even to make sure she was still traveling in the right direction. Instead she occasionally lifted her nose to smell the air as it blew past her nostrils. Navigating was much harder this way, but she had no choice.

There was no doubt that she'd be ahead of the herd she'd spotted with Kazou. She was much faster than they could ever wish to be, but if her assumptions were correct and all of the demons she'd seen travelling in the same direction days earlier were seeking the jewel as well, she may be too late.

"No!" She shouted into the air as she dropped from a grassy cliff beside the peak of a waterfall to land with a splash in the stream below. She didn't miss a beat, leaping again to clear the water and sprinting across the rocky shore.

"You better not die on me," she said, much quieter, and with that very real possibility in the front of her mind, she forced her body to move even faster. It should have been impossible, especially considering her wounds, after all they'd only just begun to heal when she'd left what remained of the northern kingdom. Having a strong motive kept her going though, and the adrenaline raging through her body made things even easier. She was by now completely numb to her pain.

Kagome lifted her head again as the wind blew, stronger than before, across her face. It carried the scent of many people and smoke, it was the scent of a village ahead, but not the one she wanted to stop at. Normally, she'd avoid a crowded place and go around it, playing it safe to avoid any unwanted attention, especially from any hunters or even an untrained weakling with a bow and arrow and a lucky shot.

This time was different. She took to the trees on the river's edge, traveling quickly across the tops of their branches and waiting for the last possible moment to jump, then soaring over the crowded village now below her. She ignored the awe struck shouts of the children and horrified cries of their parents when they spotted her, gliding through the sky as if she had wings. She only landed once, nearly knocking over a middle aged man who had been far too shocked by her sudden appearance to move out of the way. Before he could so much as blink however she was gone again, disappearing back into the trees on the other side of the village.

She let her body fall back to the ground, miraculously avoiding being hit by any of the long, thick branches that blocked her from the earth. Instead, most of them crumbled under her weight and the impressive speed she put behind it. The second her feet touched the ground below she was moving forwards again as if nothing had even slowed her down.

'_They'll be fine without me,' _Kagome told herself stubbornly, _'the village is full of skilled warriors, not just Inuyasha. Miroku, Sango and Kirara should be there too…'_

'_But,'_ she thought, remembering the heavy, black clouds of demons she'd seen days earlier, _'even the most skilled humans are still just that, human. They have limits that demons don't.' _

Even though the masses she'd seen earlier were all lesser demons, monsters that, had they been alone wouldn't last five seconds in front of a village full of highly skilled warriors, much less one, together they could still threaten the village. Furthermore, demons that were in interest of something powerful and addictive, such as the jewel of four souls, fought harder and lasted longer than they normally would if they were only looking for a meal.

'_And if they're attacking together, one after another after another, the village won't have any time to recover. How could I have been so stupid? Even if I had taken the time to listen a little better…I knew it was odd when I kept seeing so many, but…' _sheshook her head. That didn't matter anymore, she couldn't go back and change the past now, and for all she knew the village and everyone in it was safe, however unlikely that possibility may be.

Then another thought struck her, so hard that she nearly tripped over her own feet. "Naraku," she breathed, her blood boiling at the very sound of his name, _'what if he's been behind this?' _

It wasn't an unreasonable idea. He had failed to get the treasure from the northern kingdom because Kagome's demon side had overpowered him, so maybe the next logical step was to take the jewel. If he had that on his side, there was no doubt he would be given the strength to take the rest of the treasures and bring Onigumo to life again.

'_And since he's still recovering from our fight, he's gathered many demons to weaken the village before he goes in to steal the jewel. The bonus is that he knows I'm not there to do anything to stop him…' _her hands closed into tight fists at her sides as she ran. _'Slimy bastard. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this was all his doing.' _

On a positive note, if Kagome was correct, the circumstances meant that she would likely be at the village long before Naraku decided to show up. On a not so positive note, hundreds of demons would beat still beat her there and she was looking at facing Naraku again in the very near future.

'_And that demon…'_ she thought, baring her teeth, _'whatever happened last time…I can't let it happen again.' _

Her frown deepened as she caught sight of a gray blur moving quickly to keep up with her, and struggling quite a bit in the process. The blur, which was actually a wolf, glanced at her when it realized it had been noticed, golden eyes begging her to slow down so that they could talk. She couldn't do that, but she could give the wolf a ride and a break from running.

She reached down with one arm, never breaking speed as she scooped the animal up and held him close to her chest to steady him. When he'd finished squirming she spoke up, trying her best to keep the urgency out of her voice, _"what's going on? I assume you know something or you wouldn't have come looking for me?"_

"_Kagome-sama,"_ the wolf began uncertainly, _"you're badly wounded. I can smell the fresh blood and the poison still inside of you, wouldn't it be wise to take a break?"_

"_No,"_ the hybrid bit back at him, _"answer my question or you're of no use to me."_

"_The village, the one that your human pack stopped at, they're being attacked,"_ the wolf replied quickly, clearly not keen on the idea of being tossed back on the ground should she decide he was useless. _"The others stayed behind to try and do what they could to help…I came in search of you…"_

Kagome's grip tightened around the wolf's shoulders and belly, only lessening when a whimper from the canine reached her ears. She had been hoping, perhaps foolishly, that she'd arrive at the village and be surprised to see that all was well, that there had been no demon attacks and not a single drop of blood had been shed. She'd hoped that the groups of demons she'd seen earlier were not interested in the jewel at all and were hunting something else entirely. From the sounds of her current passenger's story however, it seemed she had been right on target.

"_How're they doing?"_ she asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

The wolf hesitated a moment, then sighed. _"They weren't doing well when I left, Kagome-sama. I have no idea how they're faring now." _

…

"Damn it!" Inuyasha yelled in frustration as he took out another demon with the Tessaiga. One of many that were relentlessly attacking his village at the moment. He'd killed what seemed like hundreds already, but no matter how many were killed, more came in to take their place, destroying their homes and taking lives.

'_This has to stop,'_ Inuyasha thought, his hands gripping Tessaiga's hilt tighter at the sound of a pain filled scream from somewhere in the midst of this mess. _'There has to be an end somewhere. Otherwise this village will be nothing but a graveyard…and the jewel will…'_

He glanced briefly to his left at the sound of a high pitched and very canine scream, watching as another wolf hit the earth. He wasn't sure when, but at some point a large pack of wolves had charged into the village and begun fighting alongside the humans. They didn't do much good, and were easily killed off by the monsters they fought against, but together they had managed to take out a few of the smaller demons and for that Inuyasha was grateful.

'_Did they…did they get sent here by Kagome?'_ he asked himself, slicing through the demon who had only seconds ago killed the wolf. It was the only logical answer. Rushing to aid a village full of humans in the middle of a war against monsters ten times their size was hardly normal behavior for a pack of wolves. Even less 3expected was the way they fearlessly attacked the demons, not running away even when there were only a few of them left.

'_But does that mean…is she watching out for us still? Does she know what's going on?'_

Inuyasha was ripped from his thoughts when a tentacle like appendage wrapped itself snuggly around his left leg. Before he could even think to cut down the demon that had grabbed him he was on his back, staring up into the four hungry eyes of a very ugly beast.

"Hiraikotsu!"

Inuyasha sucked in a sharp breath as a blur of white and red tore through the demon, missing his face by a handful of inches. When he opened his eyes again he caught sight of Sango, flying high above the battlefield on the back of the two-tailed cat, Kirara. She effortlessly caught her weapon with one hand as it flew by her, not even bothering to look. Instead, she stared down at him with a rather unimpressed expression on her face.

"Pay attention to what you're doing, idiot!"

"You worry about yourself!" He howled back at her, refusing to thank her in the chance that such an act might further damage his already wounded pride.

Miroku too fought beside him, working skillfully with his halberd to slay one demon at a time. Inuyasha could tell by looking at him that he was more than frustrated, he had no doubt why either. If the village wasn't so crowded and if there weren't so many that were injured but not dead, only unable to make it to safety without help, he could unleash his weapons power. If he did that now, however, he'd run the risk of sucking in one of the villagers and the hunter refused to take such risks. Instead, he worked tirelessly like the rest of them, hopelessly trudging through the sea of monsters.

'_And I'm in the same position,'_ he thought angrily, _'there's no way to release the wind scar right now, it's too crowded here.' _

Sango had taken into account the possibility of taking out a villager with her boomerang bone, which is why she had taken to the skies. There she could see and aim better, making sure she wouldn't accidentally harm a villager when she threw her weapon. She could also take care of the majority of the demons still pouring into the village from the forest, painting the already dark sky an even deeper black.

'_Still, this is never ending,'_ Inuyasha thought, slicing through yet another beast and saving a handful of young women that had been too shaken by the very sight of it to run. "Hurry up and get somewhere safe!" he shouted at them, waving his sword towards the opposite side of the village. "Try to stay in the shadows, you'll be less likely to be spotted."

The girls stood quickly and followed his direction and with a sigh the swordsman turned his attention briefly to where his main concern resided. It wasn't the shrine that his gaze fell on, while that too was a very important thing to guard, he had other priorities that stood well above protecting jewel of fours souls. Instead he looked towards the tiny hut where he had left his sister and when he saw it, his heart nearly stopped.

A demon, one with a beak for a mouth, spines covering its entire back, six legs and an impressively long, snake-like tail stood just beside the house, screaming and snapping at a pair of wolves who were attacking it. It wasn't the demon's proximity to the hut so much as the fact that, in its irritation, its tail swished back and forth rapidly and with enough force to do significant damage to anything or anyone standing behind it.

In this case, the place where Rin was hiding was directly behind it and, as if the monster had read his mind, its tail tore not only the roof, but the majority of the house down in one sweep. A terrified scream, one Inuyasha recognized too well, poured from the remains of the hut as the walls fell. To further Inuyasha's growing anxiety as he ran to his sister's aid, the demon was now moving towards it, no longer seeming interested in the wolves who tried their best to distract it. The idea of a fresh meal, a defenseless child with nowhere to go, was much more interesting.

"NO!" Inuyasha howled as he charged towards the demon, it didn't seem to hear him, another monster did however. A much bigger, uglier beast that looked like an odd combination between a turtle and a frog with a hardened shell covering its back, a long neck with a beak like mouth and an equally long and thick, spiny tail and four limbs that resembled frog legs. With an effortless bound, it intercepted Inuyasha before he could make it to Rin's side, staring down at him with a hungry grin.

"You," he said, his voice coming out rough and hard to understand, "you look like a tasty one…"

"Get out of my way you," Inuyasha snarled in response, swinging at one of its front legs. He missed when the demon tucked its appendage up towards its body, retreating partially into its shell, but Inuyasha hadn't been concerned with hitting the demon so much as getting around it anyway. The second he noticed the opening he took off in hot pursuit of the demon that was currently sorting through the debris in search of his next potential meal.

"RIN!" He called, despite when he saw the beast pause, its expression changing to one of interest, and lick its lips. It had clearly found her, but as it drew back slightly, mouth gaping in preparation to strike, a blast of red flames shot from the pile of wood. That was followed quickly by none other than Shippou, who somehow managed to carry Kohaku's limp body on his back all while dragging Rin, who ran with a slight limp, along behind him with one hand.

He hesitated only long enough to get a better look at their attacker before letting out a yelp, much like that of an injured dog, and running the rest of the way across the wood to the ground. It had taken no time at all for the beast to recover from the kit's attack, in fact it had been more surprised than injured, and it was now in hot pursuit with an angry squawk.

"Inuyasha!" Shippou cried when he spotted the swordsman running towards him, but his relief was short lived when he noticed the much larger demon thundering along behind Inuyasha. "L-look behind you!"

Inuyasha didn't need to look to know what was there, but he waited until he was beside the tiny group to turn. _'Shit,'_ he thought as he glanced between the two charging beasts, _'This is not my fucking day.' _

"Inuyasha!"

For the second time his name was called, this time by Sango as she and Kirara raced through the sky towards him. She drew back her weapon, shouting its name as she threw it with perfect aim for the long neck of the demon that had been charging Inuyasha from behind. But she wasn't prepared for it to dodge and was even less prepared when the beast stood up on its powerful hind legs, reaching out and snapping at her with its mouth.

With a snarl, Kirara stopped short in the air, rearing upright so that instead of attacking the human on her back, the demon's sharp beak closed over her right foreleg. "Kirara!" Sango shouted in surprise, but it didn't last long. Instead of remaining frozen in place like some may have in her situation, she reached for the sword at her hip, intent on defending her friend, but she never got the chance to draw it. Instead, she was thrown from the demon cat's back as Kirara was pulled toward the ground by the demon's powerful grip. Sango hit the ground a second later, where she stayed, unmoving.

Kirara meanwhile was still struggling in the demon's strong grip when the boomerang bone, on its return trip towards where Sango had been, sliced into the side of the demon's neck. It roared in protest and the feline took the opportunity to free herself, quickly returning to her master's unconscious body on three legs where she remained.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha called, "Sango! Hey, Sango! You better get back up, you hear me?"

His shouts fell on deaf ears. After such a fall it was unlikely that she'd be waking up any time soon. That is, assuming she was even alive. Inuyasha had no way to check on her or so much as even get close from where he stood, shielding Rin, Shippou and Kohaku from the fury of the smaller of the pair of demons. Instead he cursed, loudly and colorfully as the demon snapped at his blade for the third time. He retaliated with a well-aimed swing that landed on the demon's throat, but it was pointless. Its thick, scale covered skin protected it from any and all of Inuyasha's attempts to harm it.

'_Under all those scales is where I need to get,'_ he thought, eyes widening slightly as an idea came to him, _'fine then,'_ he thought next, smirking as he prepared for his next move. _'I'll take it under its belly.'_

It wasn't easy or convenient, but he didn't have time to strike the stupid thing a hundred times until a couple scales fell away and its soft flesh was revealed. He waited impatiently for the demon to draw back, preparing for its fourth and final strike, before he dropped to the ground. For only a brief moment he remained on his back, angling his sword just right so he could thrust it up and easily slice through the unprotected skin of the beast's belly.

He scrambled to his feet a second later, barely avoiding the waterfall of blood that poured from the wound he'd made, and he had no time to celebrate his victory. The demon with the long neck had since lost interest in Sango and the injured Kirara and was once again towering over him.

"Puny human," it growled, "your entire village will be destroyed soon and everyone in it will fall…"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Inuyasha spat, stepping past Rin and Shippou to come in between them and the monster. As he went, he stripped out of his fire rat jacket, draping it over his sister's head and shoulders. "Shippou," he said, slightly quieter, "when you see a break, run. Find somewhere safe…and protect Rin with everything you have."

He barely caught sight of the boy's watery eyed nod out of the corner of his eye. That was all he needed, to know his sister would be safe and wouldn't have the same fate that so many others in this village had already succumbed to.

'_I won't let her die.'_ He told himself stubbornly, _'I'll die a thousand deaths before she dies one.' _

With that thought secure in the back of his mind he lifted his blade and prepared to strike. The demon in front of him only chuckled, then it lowered its head slightly and proceeded to blow a jet of flames out of each nostril.

Inuyasha's jaw dropped slightly as he saw the incoming, unexpected attack. Quickly, he turning his blade so that the broad side was facing him and the point was towards the ground in an attempt to shield his face and chest from the flames. His hands and arms would still be easy targets for serious burns however, he had no other choice. The easiest option would have been to get out of the way, and fast, but even knowing that she was protected by his robes, Inuyasha refused to move from his position in front of his Rin.

'_Rin,'_ was his last thought, right before the fire hit him, _'stay alive.'_

A moment passed, no longer than a heartbeat, then another and another, but there was nothing aside from the sounds of battle in the distance. He expected to feel excruciating pain, similar to what he had felt when he'd been burned by Kikyou, and the overwhelming warmth of the flames as he was surrounded by them, but it never came.

A second later and the furious roar of the demon in front of him forced Inuyasha's eyes open wide. He ripped his blade from the ground and swung it upwards again until its length was parallel with his shoulders. But instead of being greeted by the sight of a frustrated, charging demon, he was presented with something entirely different in front of him.

"What…?"

"What was that?" A familiar, mocking tone entered his ears before he could even comprehend what had happened. "That was pathetic, I didn't even feel it at all."

"Kagome…?" he breathed softly, too surprised by her sudden appearance to speak any louder, "when did you…?"

The demon roared again, cutting off anything else Inuyasha might have said. Kagome, meanwhile, scoffed at its unruly behavior and the sight of a small stream of smoke drifting from its nostrils. It was clearly preparing for its next attack, the first one obviously not having had the desired result. She too prepared for her next move, settling into a crouch but never taking her eyes off the threat.

"You can try again if you'd like," Kagome replied, "but you won't get anywhere with a wimpy flame like yours…not against me…"

That said, she effortlessly leapt from the ground and towards the monster, flying headlong into the pathway of the incoming flames. Her scythe was held tightly in her right hand, and Inuyasha didn't fail to notice the difference in her weapon since he'd last seen it. The blade was now a jet black, with a shine that made it appear brand new. In contrast, the skull was a clean white, and from the eye sockets came a soft, blue glow. Overall, he noticed, much in the same way that Tessaiga transformed from a rusty old blade to a magnificent fang, Kagome's scythe had changed into something much newer.

'_Did she learn how to transform her weapon like the Tessaiga?'_ he asked himself, watching as it passed through the fire and sliced through the top of the demon's beak as if it were molded from a block of warm butter. The demon screamed in agony as blood sprayed from the wound, but it was far from enough to stop it completely. It stood up on its hind legs, much like it had when it had attacked Sango, but instead of biting it pawed at Kagome with its webbed fingers in an attempt to grab her. Unfortunately for the demon, Kagome was much too fast for it to catch her and leapt out of its way with ease.

"Aniki…"

Inuyasha froze, having almost forgotten his little sister's presence behind him. He spun around, dropping to his knees in front of her. She sat with Kohaku's head in her lap and Shippou clinging tightly to one shoulder, the fire rat robes wrapped around all three of them.

"Rin," he breathed, relief flooding him at the sight of her, more or less uninjured. Whether she'd meant to or not, Kagome's sudden appearance had given him the time to check on his sibling, and he was glad for it. "Are you alright?" he asked, reaching for her, "I was worried…"

Rin managed a small smile despite their surroundings. "I'm fine, Aniki," she whispered, "I hurt my ankle a little…but Shippou-chan shielded me when the walls fell and protected me from that demon."

"I got Kohaku out too!" Shippou piped in, proud of his achievement, even though his voice shook with poorly hidden terror.

"You did," Inuyasha nodded, "good job."

"Aniki," Rin began again, "Aniki, Kagome-san is…"

"She'll be fine," Inuyasha answered quickly, gathering his sister in his arms and glancing down at Shippou as he stood. "Shippou, can you manage Kohaku on your own?"

The little kit nodded in response, pulling the much larger boy's limp body onto his back and preparing to follow Inuyasha's lead. The demons were still attacking and lives were being taken left and right, but Inuyasha had to move Rin to safety before he could focus on anything else. His decision sounded selfish, even to his own ears, after all many of the villagers had been killed because there was no one to protect them. There were people in that village, their friends and family, who would morn that loss greatly.

'_But I won't let Rin be one of those losses. I can't lose her. Kagome…'_ he thought, not daring to look back, _'I'm counting on you.' _

He had no doubt that the battle would run much more smoothly now that she had arrived. Kagome was faster and had more stamina then any of the humans here, including himself. Granted, he had no idea _why_ she had come to the rescue, only that she had provided him with an opportunity that he would be a fool to miss. And somehow, he knew she wouldn't mind.

But Rin stopped him when she started beating on his chest to get his attention, "Aniki, no!" she shouted, clearly distressed, "Kagome-san isn't fine! Look!"

He frowned, hesitating just long enough to turn and find the hybrid. Upon first inspection she looked fine, soaring through the air and dodging the attacks of the demon she fought with, all while successfully delivering her own. However, looking closer, he saw that her clothes were not the same color they normally were. In fact, the top of her robes and even much of the bottom was stained black with her blood, and she hadn't been here long enough to sustain wounds worthy of that much blood loss.

"You have to help her!" Rin demanded, squirming in his arms, "otherwise she might—"

"She'll be fine!" Inuyasha snapped, doing his best to ignore the gnawing sensation in the back of his mind that said otherwise. He had to make sure Rin was safe before he assisted Kagome, after all, a little girl was much more vulnerable than a half wolf god, even a badly injured one.

"Inuyasha!"

Shippou's startled voice immediately brought him back to reality, just in time to dodge the gaping mouth of a snake as at lunged for him. He'd hesitated too long, and the demons had noticed his vulnerable position.

"Damn it," he cursed, moving Rin under his left arm so that he could draw his sword, "get out of my way or I'll slice you in two!"

The snake only grinned back at him, sticking its thin tongue out at him in a mocking manner before striking again. Inuyasha was ready this time, after all, he wasn't foolish enough to believe the demon would actually take his suggestion and move. This time he easily stepped out of harm's way, slicing through the side of the snake's head as it passed by him.

It crumpled into a pile of convulsing flesh a handful of meters past him before finally growing still in death. "Piece of…" he began, but was cut off as a second demon attacked him from the side. He reacted quickly, lifting up the Tessaiga to block the attack, but he didn't need to. Instead, Kirara took it down, clawing at its flesh and tearing into the monster's neck with her saber fangs.

"Kirara," Inuyasha acknowledged her with a nod, noticing that she had somehow managed to get Sango's still unconscious body onto her back. The feline stepped over the large carcass of the demon she'd just killed, sliding in between its big body and the remains of a hut. She then crouched down, allowing Sango's body to slide the short distance to the ground before stepping over her again.

Shippou scrambled towards Kirara next, dragging Kohaku along with him and settling into the trench that had been created. He glanced at Inuyasha expectantly then, "Kirara said she will guard Rin for you," he explained simply, "so that you can fight alongside Kagome and the rest…"

"Right," Inuyasha nodded, glancing over his shoulder at the hybrid, who now had several more demons that had ganged up on her, in addition to her first. He then turned to Rin briefly, "stay safe," he told her, lowering her into the trench beside Sango and exchanging an appreciative glance with the large feline before turning around.

He wasted no time in getting back to Kagome's side and easily slayed a few of the lesser beasts that had been trying to distract her. A moment later she landed at his side, and it wasn't until then that he realized how heavily she was breathing. He winced, looking at her blood soaked clothing.

"You ok?"

She scoffed, "of course," she lied.

But both of them knew the real answer.

Without giving Inuyasha a chance to call her out on her obvious fib, she leapt back into the air, raising her scythe above her head and bringing it down, point first, on the top of her opponents head. The demon let out another scream of protest as it crumbled towards the ground, its amphibian legs finally giving out on it, but it wasn't quite done yet. In one final attempt to take Kagome down with it, it used the remains of its beak to snag her sleeve and send the half demon flying off course and into a nearby hut. The wooden structure, one of the few that had been left standing, splintered under her weight and the force with which she'd landed.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha called for her, but even after a moment passed he got no answer. He wasn't in any position to go and check on her either, as he was suddenly surrounded by another group of demon, out for his blood. With a frustrated growl he sliced through a beast that had held a strong resemblance to a spider, revealing Miroku's silhouette moving towards him on the other side.

"Inuyasha," the hunter greeted when he reached him, "I thought I saw Kagome, is she…?"

The swordsman glanced towards the pile of wood that was once a home, impatient. She had yet to move from where the demon had thrown her. "She's here," Inuyasha replied, focusing next on a goblin looking creature that was wielding an axe, blocking its incoming thrust with Tessaiga.

"And Sango?"

"She's with Kirara," Inuyasha replied, nodding of his head towards where the demon cat was standing and glancing in that direction himself just in time to see Kirara claw an approaching demon across the face with just enough force to deter it from coming any closer, at least for a moment.

Miroku nodded, driving his halberd through another charging monster, then another and another. "This has to be stopped," he said, as if it was news to Inuyasha, "there has to be some way to end it quickly, before any more lives are lost. If there was a way to move all of the demons to one side of the village…"

"Do you think I haven't thought of that already?" Inuyasha snarled at him, blocking another axe thrust from the goblin in front of him. "There's no way to do it! It would be easy if they were going after the jewel but they don't even seem…"

Miroku glanced at him briefly when he drifted off, raising a questioning brow. "Yes?"

"Shit," he snapped, staring towards where the Shikon no Tama was kept at the top of the stairs. From his position he couldn't see much, only the heads of countless demons that towered over the rest and the smoke that lifted from the flames. "There isn't anyone guarding the thing. Everyone's down here," he pointed out, frustrated, "meaning this would be the perfect time to—"

"Inuyasha!"

His head snapped up just in time to see Kagome clawing through another demon who had decided to take Inuyasha's distraction as an opportunity. The hybrid landed beside him a second later, just as he'd finally beheaded the goblin creature that he'd been fighting.

"Pay attention to what you're doing, idiot!"

He glared at her, but didn't object to her scolding. Instead, he suggested something that would have most likely made him collapse from absolute shock a month or two back. "Go check on the jewel," he ordered, pointing to the top of the stairs, "no one else is protecting it."

The hybrid stared at him, rendered speechless, if for only a moment.

"Do it now," he growled when she didn't move, "this war has been going on for hours already and the jewel has been unprotected—"

I was a realistic worry.

If the jewel was stolen, even by a lesser demon, much like the majority of the herd that had been attacking them for quite a while now, they'd have a lot more to worry about then what they were dealing with now. Not only was Kagome faster, she could likely track the thief much faster than Inuyasha or anyone else, assuming that is that there was one. The half demon had yet to leave Inuyasha's side however, and with growing frustration he opened his mouth to yell at her again, but she cut him off before he could speak.

"I've got a better idea," she said finally, her gaze lifting towards the shrine and the hundreds of steps that lead up to it. There was a good sized space between where the last demon stood and where the steps began. The perfect place to have a massive battle without causing any more damage to the village, that is, if she could manage it.

"I think if I can get all of these demons into that tiny area, then…"

"I've already thought of that, stupid," Inuyasha groaned, growing more frustrated by the minute, "it's impossible to do."

"Not impossible," she corrected, glancing at him over one shoulder, "just difficult."

Before Inuyasha could agree or disagree with the hybrid, or even so much as realize what it was she was up to, she was gone, running in the direction of the shrine like the hell beasts were nipping at her heals.

"Stupid Kagome," he breathed, "what in the hell is she planning at a time like this?"

"I believe she's going to try and draw the demons to her using the release of her demonic aura," Miroku explained nonchalantly, ignoring the swordsman's shocked look as he went on, " and if she does it just right…she might just be successful."

"But," Inuyasha protested instantly. "With the wounds she has…she can't take on that many demons at once!" he spun around again, facing the direction of Kagome's quickly retreating figure, "stop it you idiot! Do you hear me, moron? Come back I said!"

Kagome didn't respond and she didn't look back. She was already too far away from Inuyasha and Miroku to hear the swordsman's insults, not that anything he could have said would stop her now anyway. She hadn't run all the way from the northern kingdom to just sit and watch an entire village roll over on their backs and let a bunch of weak monsters rampage through their town until they were satisfied. Granted, it wasn't as if they weren't putting up a fight, it just hadn't been terribly effective thus far. Too many lives had been taken already for her liking and if she could save even one more, than it would all be worth it.

She didn't slow down as she ran through the streets, dodging the terrified commoners as they searched frantically for safety as well as the spears, swords, axes and arrows of the warriors who mistook her for a threat. She didn't bother to dodge the beasts when she came across them however. Instead, she tore through their hides with her scythe as she went by, considering herself extremely lucky if she managed to aim well enough to kill one.

But what she really wanted to do was get them angry.

'_That's right,'_ she thought as she neared the wall of stairs that stood in front of the shrine, _'get mad, then come after me. They'll be much more vulnerable if they're fighting out of rage.' _

Her plan would be unlikely to work had she been dealing with a smaller herd. Ten or less and they would scatter upon feeling her aura nearby, fearing for their lives much like the villagers did now, which would have been just as good considering the circumstances. Now however there were many more than ten. In fact, she'd estimate there were at least a couple hundred, if not more, and that was only counting the demons still standing, not those that had already been slaughtered.

'_And when there are this many, they're bound to get cocky, especially when their hunt is disturbed,' _she thought, coming to a stop only once she'd made it to the edge of the cement staircase. _'Just like a pack of wolves will defend their kill against something much bigger, like a grizzly,'_ she went on, turning again towards the village, _'I hope this works. It has to.' _

She sucked in a sharp breath when, for the first time since she'd arrived, she took in the reality of the battlefield in front of her. Countless bodies, both human and not laid at the feet of those still alive, making the ground impossible to see past the ocean of blood and flesh. Children's sobs could occasionally be heard past the screams and as her eyes roved over the scene she saw one. A little boy, not even five years old by the looks of it, clutching the cold hand of what she could only presume was his mother.

'_This has to work,' _she reminded herself, then, without wasting any more time, she let go of whatever restraint she ever held over her aura, sucking in a sharp breath as the free power overwhelmed even her own senses.

Within seconds, any of the demons that had yet to realize her presence knew exactly where she was and for a brief moment, the war stopped. Those that were trained warriors, who had learned to sense the identity of a demon long before they saw it with their eyes or heard it with their ears, stopped and stared at her in awe as well. And then the demons started coming.

There may have been a few that stayed, mostly those that had given up on the fight long ago and decided to instead devour the fresh meat that was not far away and plentiful. Those monsters however were easy targets the moment that the majority had been removed, and were quickly destroyed at the hands of the villagers.

"Want a real challenge, eh?" Kagome asked, her lips curved upwards into a pleased smile as the first of hundreds of demons approached her. "I'd be more than happy to give you one," she said a little louder, "but I can guarantee, you won't make it out of this alive!"

That said, she easily sliced through the first and second of them, enjoying the warmth of her scythe's staff against her palms. The same warmth passed through her entire body, starting from her heart and pumping through her veins as if her very blood was on fire. What she felt now was not fear, despite the mountain of demons charging towards her, all hungry for what strength they could gather from her flesh if they were to devour it, not that they'd ever get to. It was excitement, pleasure and even blood lust.

Lust for the blood of those that had injured and killed the ones she had wanted to protect.

She snarled at them, fiercer even than all of them put together, as they surrounded her, their bodies blocking all the light that had been provided by the moon and the stars. That didn't last long though. She twisted at her pelvis, swinging her weapon back, then forward and in a diagonal line from a point just above her shoulder to her opposite knee. The blade, already burning an impossibly bright shade of white, released a flamethrower across the wall of demons that had dared to come close and their screeches followed as the collapsed at her feet.

She repeated the action again and again, but only managed to take out a handful of the beasts with each strike. _'This needs to go faster,'_ she thought, willing herself to ignore the painful throb in her shoulder that reminded her of her still healing injuries with every move. _'I won't be able to hold up much longer if I keep going at this rate, then the village will…' _

'_No,' _she cut herself off stubbornly, _'I won't lose to a bunch of pathetic souls like this…especially not with Inuyasha and everyone relying on me.' _

And then she froze.

'_Again,'_ she thought, glancing down at her scythe as she swung it again, _'it's like that time that I fought with Takeshi, that big oaf that was causing problems for Kaede and her village. It's the same pulsing, as if this weapon has an actual heartbeat.' _

The scythe had already transformed. At some point, she hadn't realized when, although it was before she'd entered the village and started fighting, it had changed its form from the dull and old weapon that she was used to carting around into something with a much more vibrant appearance. That didn't mean much to her now though, not unless she could get it to release its full power on the herd like it had the last time and she had yet to figure out the exact mechanics behind releasing the weapons full potential.

'_Even then that might not be enough,' _she thought, and then bit back a scream as one of the demons that had been surrounding her sunk its teeth into her injured shoulder from behind. Without looking, she reached her free hand over and behind, digging her claws deep into the monster's face and dragging it in front of her, not caring for the way its strong grip had torn away flesh and muscle as she forcefully removed it. She tossed its body to the ground, at the feet of those that were waiting for the perfect moment to strike, glaring at all of them.

"What do you bastards say we get this over with, eh?" she asked none in particular, not bothering to hide the new fury that gave her voice an edge. _'I have to end this,'_ she thought, frustrated with her body which was suddenly feeling much weaker, _'NOW!'_

The staff in her hand suddenly burned warmer than she'd felt it seconds ago and without hesitating or questioning the reason behind it, she brought the blade down again. This time, much like when she had been fighting Takeshi, a wolf's head appeared from the flames, screaming in fury and wrapping the surrounding demons in a blanket of fire that was uncomfortably hot even for her. The flames dissipated a few moments later, and with them left the tortured cries of the demons whose lives had been taken. Left behind was only ash and a handful of monsters that had been too far back to be affected by the scythe's power.

Kagome bared her fangs at them, raising her weapon again as a threat, although none of them heeded her warning. Not that she could blame them. The entire right side of her body from her upper back down was soaked with blood and a pool was forming at her feet, being fed by a steady drip off of her pant leg. It wasn't difficult for her to imagine that she didn't look like much of a threat at the moment.

Before she could prove to the monsters in front of her that she could still hold her own though, a white light sliced through the remaining bodies from behind. Once the light cleared, a familiar figure, dressed all in red, came jogging towards her.

"That was reckless," Inuyasha bit out, once he'd reached her, "you could have gotten yourself killed."

"No less reckless than what you usually do," Kagome countered, "besides, it's not like any of you had any better ideas. The demons are gone aren't they? Problem solved."

"Except for you," he reminded her, "and you're a mess!"

"I'll be—"

"So help me, Kagome, if you even _think_ about dismissing those wounds without having someone look at them…" he drifted off, shaking his head and turning to face a handful of villagers that had come up behind him. "All of you that are well enough should do what you can for the wounded," he announced, speaking in a tone that was gentle, and yet left no room for argument, "gather those that have passed in one area…we'll start digging once everything else is settled."

"But Inuyasha-sama," one man spoke up, having stayed nearby even when most of the other villagers had quickly moved off to do as they were told, "what about…that…?"

Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder at the hybrid. Though the man hadn't directly spoken her name, or even used a title so that Inuyasha could know who he was talking about, it wasn't difficult for him to figure it out. Most of the villagers had seen Kagome at the beginning of their journey when she agreed to travel with them, but none of them had liked her then, and the same feelings of fear, disgust and intolerance were probably held for her now. Despite the fact that she had saved the entire village from burying probably double what they would be already. These people hadn't had the same experiences Inuyasha had in traveling with her. Even though he had been reluctant to do anything besides clump Kagome in with the rest of the heartless beasts he was used to slaying at the time, he had had no choice but to get to know her. Slowly, somewhere along the way, that had resulted in him realizing that she was hardly the terrible person he'd made her out to be in the beginning. He'd even started to care for her and accept her as a reliable friend.

His curious glance turned into a scowl when he realized that Kagome was now surrounded by a handful of warriors. None of them seemed very open to tolerating her presence either, at least, if any of the weapons they pointed in her direction were any indication.

The half demon herself looked very uncomfortable there, and rightfully so, although she had yet to attempt an escape from her cage of metal. After all, she was by now far too spent to make a crafty escape. Even if she tried she'd likely get hit by something on the way out with their proximity. Instead, she knelt in the middle of the circle the villagers had created around her and where she had collapsed in exhaustion since Inuyasha had last looked at her, visibly restraining the urge to snarl at anyone. It was likely she'd already realized that that would not help her matters any.

"Leave her be," Inuyasha snapped at them, stepping in between the perceived threat and several of the warriors he'd grown up with, knocking a handful of spears and halberds away with one hand. "She's not a threat to any of us," he continued, "especially not in that condition. On top of that she just saved your lives, use your brains and for fuck's sake go do what I told you already!"

Several of the men seemed shocked by Inuyasha's outburst. After all he'd left the village hating demons with a passion stronger than any of them. Then they looked ashamed. They quickly lowered their weapons and headed back down towards the main streets of the village where there were countless bodies to sort through. One man however, one with a messy black bun and equally messy clothing, both covered in the blood of the many monsters he'd slayed as well as his own, hesitated a bit longer. He stared down at the hybrid at his feet with a hatred so bold and undeniable that it nearly made her shiver. He fingered the hilt of his sword for a moment, as if debating whether or not to disobey Inuyasha's orders, and then finally drifted away.

Inuyasha waited for him to get out of ear shot before speaking up, "stay the hell away from him, Kagome, you hear me?"

The half demon barely even heard his request. Suddenly the chill of the night air around her felt quite a bit colder than it had seconds before and she couldn't help a slight chill from running down her spine. The look that man had given her was not anything like the expression of the other villagers. They looked at her with distaste, a lack of trust and an overabundance of fear. But he had looked at her with hatred and bloodlust reflected in his brown eyes.

He loathed her.

He wanted her dead.

'_That one…'_ she thought, watching him until he disappeared into the crowd, _'he's got a major chip on his shoulder. But I can't remember ever seeing him before, so it can't be from something I did, can it?'_

"Hey…"

Kagome looked up just in time to see Inuyasha waving his hand in front of her face, one that he'd apparently been holding out to her for a few seconds already, but she had yet to realize. She blinked at the offer a few times, then dumbly put her hand in his and allowed him to lift her gently back to her feet. She didn't fail to notice the fact that his hand remained securely locked on hers longer than necessary, as if he was making sure she was stable enough to stand on her own before he let her go. The half demon opened her mouth slowly to call him out on it, but before she could speak the voices of their traveling companions interrupted them and the swordsman quickly dropped her hand.

"Kagome-sama," Miroku called, being the first to approach along with Toutousai, who together with him supported the weight of Inuyasha's father. "It was a surprise to see you…but I'm sure I can speak for all of us when I say we're very grateful you arrived when you did. None of us would have made it out as well as we did without your assistance."

Kagome nodded, opening her mouth again to speak, this time to reprimand the hunter for thanking her for something so instinctual. This time however she wasn't cut off by anyone else calling for her, but by a familiar, albeit very faint, scent that drifted past her nose. Her eyes immediately leapt to the sky just twenty feet in front of her to see Shippou and Kirara slowly, carefully making their way to the ground.

Shippou had transformed into a large, pink balloon like creature with a rudimentary face, arms and legs and on his back sat Rin, who looked overjoyed to see her half demon role model alive and standing. It wasn't either of the children that caught Kagome's attention though. It was one of the pair of unconscious bodies that Kirara carried on her back, taking great care to not let them fall as she landed. One was Sango but the other, to Kagome's absolute shock, was Kohaku.

"That's…" she began, her voice barely as whisper as she pushed past Inuyasha to get a better look at what she'd thought was her dead companion. "Kohaku is…" she breathed, "He's alive?"

Miroku was the first to respond to her, "right. Last you knew we'd buried him, however…" the man drifted off, smiling over his shoulder at his sibling, "however, apparently he somehow managed to escape death again and come here. He's only woken up once, but not once since we arrived."

Kagome smiled too, allowing a quiet sigh of relief to escape her lips as she took in the sight of all her companions and friends in front of her. While not in the best shape, they were all alive and that's what mattered most. "I'm glad…" she whispered, so low that even Inuyasha, standing right beside her, could barely hear her.

Kagome didn't have long to enjoy the peace of mind that was brought with that knowledge before a small thump on her chest left her nearly gasping for breath. She managed to control herself and hide her pain quickly, before any of her companions could notice. Then, instead of clawing savagely at the youth that had caused her weakened body trauma like her instincts would have liked her to, she raised one hand to gently support the kit now clinging to her chest. Shippou, who had apparently deposited Rin on the ground at some point when she wasn't looking, let out a happy sigh in response to her touch. It was as if he hadn't been sure if she was really there, standing in front of him, until he'd managed to make physical contact with her. Little did the half demon realize, that was the exactly what the boy needed.

It was apparent he wasn't interested in saying anything and instead content with just knowing the hybrid was alive. Kagome was fine with that too, so long as the boy didn't start pounding on her chest and squirming around he wouldn't cause her any more pain other than the initial shock. Inuyasha on the other hand, didn't have the same sympathies for the kit that she'd developed. He snatched the boy from her by the tail and dangled him in front of his face, baring his teeth.

"Think about what you're doing, brat," he bit out, shaking him, "she's badly injured."

Shippou would have normally snapped right back and the swordsman, resulting in an ongoing war of childish bickering and name calling. Clearly the mention of Kagome's wounds were having a different effect on the boy though and instead, he turned apologetically towards the older half demon.

"Kagome?" he questioned worriedly, "are your wounds really that bad?"

"Of course they aren't," she scoffed, sending a sidelong glare to the man beside her, "he's just overreacting."

"Hardly!"

"I have to agree with Inuyasha, Kagome-sama." Miroku spoke up again, "To have bled so much as you have in the time since you've been here, your wounds can't possibly be minor. You should at the very least have them looked at."

"I…" the hybrid opened her mouth to protest again, but this time was cut off by someone else.

"Inuyasha," Taisho began, speaking for the first time since Miroku and Toutousai had practically carried him to the bottom of the steps, "you should take Kagome back into the village and tend to her injuries."

This time it was Inuyasha's turn to protest, although Kagome too looked less than thrilled with the suggestion. "What?" The swordsman barked, "Why do I have to? I was going to…the jewel…" he drifted off as he looked over his shoulder towards the shrine. Again, he'd been too distracted by the attack on his home and Kagome's sudden appearance to think much about the item he'd sworn to protect, no matter what, over and over in the past. Furious with himself for forgetting something so important, he turned and nearly ran up the steps, but he was again stopped by his father's firm voice before he could get very far.

"The jewel is fine for another moment," he reminded the man gruffly, "even if it had been taken you wouldn't be able to stop it, no matter how fast you ran up there. For now take care of those who need it, your little sister and Kagome."

"The jewel is still there anyway," Kagome pointed out tiredly, wishing to end the conversation quickly so she could finally go rest her tired body. "I can feel it," she told them, "or rather…feel the barrier that it is projecting."

"Keh!" Inuyasha snapped, fuming, but still descending the handful of steps he'd climbed in order to get back to the rest of his companions. "I still don't see why I have to."

He was hardly annoyed that he was being ordered to care of Rin, after all, he was more worried about her than anyone else in the village and more than willing to take care of her. Despite that, he did have enough sense to realize that her swollen ankle wouldn't kill or endanger her life in the next couple minutes and was a rather easy fix. If compared to Kagome's injury, which he had yet to see, it would have been like comparing the water within a small pond and an ocean. The half demon didn't seem to care for his, or anyone else's attention to her injuries, however, so why care? If she wanted to suffer alone in the forest and take the risk of a longer recovery, if she recovered at all, then so be it.

"Who else would?" Toutousai reminded the man in a matter-of-fact tone, "The rest of the village is terrified of her, are they not? You two seem to have sorted out your differences since you began traveling with each other."

Inuyasha winced, remembering the way he'd treated the half demon upon her arrival in the nearby forest. It wasn't something he was proud of now, looking back. Kagome certainly didn't seem to harbor any ill feelings towards him about it, but the way the other villagers had treated her, even after she'd saved them, had been an unpleasant reminder.

Without further complaint, the man motioned for Kagome to follow after him, which she did, although to say she looked happy about it would be a far cry from reality. She likely only did so to avoid further conflict and disapproval from her traveling companions. Of course, perhaps somewhere, beneath the stubbornness that usually kept her from letting others worry over her injuries, she knew that this time, it really was quite serious.

It wasn't until Inuyasha had dropped Rin off with a few of the young village women so that her ankle could be bandaged that he found a suitable spot, away from the suspicious glares of the commoners and other warriors, to see to Kagome's injuries. They sat behind the remains of one hut, now only half standing with the roof caved in and two of the four walls crumbled to the ground. Still, it provided enough shelter that they were out of the direct line of sight and it was far enough away that it would be difficult for anyone to eavesdrop.

Once Kagome realized this was where Inuyasha had chosen to stop, she flopped to the ground again, getting herself comfortable and finally closing her eyes to rest. Even if she wouldn't have very long before the swordsman was ready, her body was finally feeling the effects of running and battling the way she had been for the majority of the night and the day before that.

Inuyasha spared her a glance over one shoulder as he dug through the remains of what had been a house, trying his best to avoid the sharp edges of the broken wood with what little visibility there was. _'She must have been exhausted after all.'_ He thought, turning back to the task at hand, _'despite what she said, those wounds can't just something she can brush off like she normally does. At least, I'd assume they aren't from the way she has blood all over her and how slow she's been since she got here.' _

It was true. He'd noticed right upon her arrival that, while she was fighting rather well, she moved and recovered much slower than what he'd learned to expect from her during their travels together. _'Like when she was thrown to the side by that demon,'_ he frowned, _'she crashed into one of the buildings and it took her a while to get back up. But that shouldn't have been a bad fall as far as she's concerned.' _

"Hey, get out of those clothes," he ordered, the words falling from his lips without thought as he pulled a small, two drawer dresser from the rubble. Ripping open one of the drawers, he couldn't help a satisfied smirk from crossing his lips when he found in packed with herbs, bandages and a handful of small clay pots filled with various healing lotions. He frowned a second later though when his imagination began to provide him with more images of what kinds of injuries Kagome might be trying to hide. He was going to need bandages, lots and lots of bandages. And a cold compress, he realized as the short end of a log that had likely been at some point stacked among many others at the back end of the hut, came in contact with his head.

"What in the hell was that for?" he snarled, turning to glare hotly at the woman behind him.

Kagome glared back at him furiously, the look in her eyes promising pain if he so much as dared to come towards her. Her right hand closed over another log, slightly bigger than the first one. "What was that supposed to be?" she barked, "another one of Miroku's one liners? You've obviously been spending way too much time around that pervert—"

"What!?" Inuyasha howled, his shout loud enough that he could have roused the entire village had they been sleeping. "Why would I—what do you—that is _not_ what I meant!"

Kagome's glare hadn't lessened any, but she hadn't chucked the other log at him yet either, so Inuyasha automatically took this as an opportunity to save himself from further pain and explain. "It's not like I was telling you to strip naked, stupid!" he snarled, pointing an accusing finger in her direction as if to place the blame of this misunderstanding on her, "just take off the parts where there's blood!"

Granted, that was pretty much everything by now, but Kagome seemed to understand anyway. With a roll of her eyes, the half demon turned until her back was to him and slowly began loosening her clothes. Inuyasha scowled at her a moment longer before he too turned back to the task at hand. Once he'd gathered everything he stood and made his way towards her, however the sight of her now bare shoulders and backside, and more importantly, the wound he'd be treating, stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Ka-Kagome, you…"

The hybrid in question turned her head slightly, offering him a patient look. She hesitated for a moment before looking again at the woods in the distance, "don't go making a big deal out of nothing."

"That…That's hardly nothing!" Inuyasha bit back, but settled down behind her anyway, taking special care not to look at anything he shouldn't.

He'd seen a lot of serious injuries, even before he'd met Kagome. Working in a profession such as his, where fighting and killing monsters everyday was common place had gotten him used to the idea of being hurt, and having those around him hurt, very quickly as a boy. Of course, when he had met the half demon he had come up with an entirely new definition for what 'serious' meant. He'd learned quickly that what he called a bad injury was something entirely different, and likely unimportant, to Kagome. She'd had a hole ripped through her stomach for god's sake, and even then she'd been restless when he and the others had told her to 'take it easy'.

Her collarbone, he knew had been severed just by looking at the injury. Inuyasha could have comfortably fit his hand in between where her neck ended and her shoulder began. There should have been a bone there, but the only evidence that it still existed was the cross section of white peaking past the inflamed muscle on either side. Based on the vertical length of the cut, he wouldn't be surprised if her scapula had been crushed as well along with a few ribs and whatever else had gotten in the way of her attacker.

Blood leaked from the wound, flowing freely down her back and over her right arm before pooling underneath her. Beneath the crimson coat that painted much of the skin surrounding the wound, he could see that her flesh was swollen and a dull shade of purple, similar to that of a bruise. Despite all that, Kagome sat in front of him with a bored expression on her face, completely oblivious to Inuyasha's inner turmoil.

'_I…don't even know how to start,' _he thought, unconsciously reaching for some of the rags he'd brought with him. Gathering a few in his hand, he slowly reached for her and, as gently as he could, began soaking up as much of the blood as he could. It wasn't until he made contact that he got the first sign that Kagome was not in fact immune to her pain. She sucked in a sharp breath, her body growing stiff for only a second before she forced herself to relax again, sending him a sidelong, furious stare that insisted he go on.

"Kagome, I…"

"Don't stop now, stupid," she muttered, her tone betraying the strong mask she tried to present. "It didn't really even hurt that bad," she lied, "I was just surprised, that's all.

Inuyasha shook his head in silent disagreement, but did as she'd suggested. Whether or not the process hurt, and he knew it really did, her cut had to be treated. He wouldn't let her leave his sight until it was taken care of.

He lifted the rags again and wiped hopelessly at the blood, handing a few to her as well so that she could clean her chest. It wasn't long before he couldn't distinguish the cloth from the river of blood he'd soaked up, and so be moved on. Next, he lathered her injury, along with the surrounding flesh with the healing lotion he'd found, all while cursing himself for not thinking to grab the medicine she'd lent him. It was likely somewhere beneath a thick layer of broken wood and stone that had nearly collapsed on his sister when she'd escaped with Kohaku and Shippou. It wouldn't be easy to find, and he knew Kagome didn't have the patience and he didn't have the energy to look so instead he continued onward.

Once her skin was thoroughly covered, he set a handful of herbs across the top of her cut and did the best he could with the bandages he'd gathered, since it was not a particularly easy wound to wrap. "You're finished," he told her finally, leaning back so that she could pull her clothes back on. He frowned when she quickly stood up a second later, only wavering slightly as she took her first few steps away from him.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, "The woods? You should stay here until you've healed…"

"I can take care of myself," she reminded him stubbornly.

He scoffed, "sure you can. With injuries like those? Don't be a fool!"

"I'm not!" she protested hotly, but then she hesitated, slowly dropping her head in defeat. "It's not…I appreciate what you did, Inuyasha. I really do," she shook her head, "I just...I can't."

The swordsman raised an eyebrow at her sudden behavior change, taking a stab at what exactly she'd meant, "The other villagers?"

"No," she denied, lifting her head again to stare at the moon, "the smell…."

"The smell of what?"

'_I really hate it,'_ she reminded herself. _'No matter how much I'd like to stay and enjoy spending time with them again, to be able to see with my own eyes that they're all really okay. Being here among the death and the blood, the smell is overwhelming…I'd never be able to rest without having the memories.' _

"Everything," she elaborated finally, "all of the smells of war…"

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yes."

Inuyasha sighed in response, scratching the back of his head as he looked past the broken down hut they'd been hiding behind. He could hardly see anything besides the torches that his people carried as they moved through the streets, searching for live bodies. He could hear them as they shouted orders back and forth and occasionally called out to their loved ones, hoping they would respond. They never did.

'_I guess it makes sense,'_ he thought, looking back towards his half demon companion and allowing a tired smile to touch his lips for the briefest of moments. _'The smell of the dead even bothers me a little,' he told himself, 'I can't imagine what it must be doing to her…being as close as she is.' _

"Stay close then."

…

Kagome had barely settled into a nest of tree roots beneath the Goshinboku for the night when a rustle in the bushes beside her made her jump. The exhaustion she'd felt from the events of the past few hours had caught up with her quickly since she'd left Inuyasha's side and with that her defenses had fallen making her less alert. Now though, she sat up straight, her ears forward, nostrils flared and her eyes wide open.

It didn't take her long to realize she actually had nothing to worry about.

She frowned once she'd located the creature that had disturbed her, narrowing her eyes on the foliage where he was hiding. "Shippou," she growled, her tone irritated, "what are you doing out here?"

The boy crept from his hiding spot a second later, then, after a moment's hesitation, ran the rest of the way to her. He clawed his way up to large roots of the Goshinboku until he was next to her where he remained, completely silent. When it was finally evident he didn't plan to answer her, she reached for him, lifting him up by his fur vest and depositing him in her lap. She then tipped his chin up with one finger in what was a rare show of affection to the boy.

"Why did you come, Shippou?"

"I was worried!" he blurted out quickly, his eyes pleading as he went on, "and I missed you! I just wanted to…just tonight, I wanted to stay with you…"

Normally Kagome would have refused him, just like any other night he'd tried to snuggle with her. It was the same tough love her mother had treated her to a million times when she was a pup, under the impression that it would make her _half-breed_ daughter stronger, more independent and less needy.

'_It worked too, didn't it?'_ she asked herself. _'But it hurt first…it hurt a lot…'_

"I suppose…" she sighed as she loosely wrapped her arms around the kit. "It wouldn't hurt."

Shippou, clearly having not expected her to tolerate his begging much less agree with it, stared at her for a moment, speechless. She rolled her eyes, "don't let your face get stuck like that, brat. It's only for tonight."

The boy's mouth snapped shut a second later and without another word he dove into the older hybrid's arms, burying his face in her belly. It wasn't long before his breathing evened out and the only movement in his tiny body was the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Kagome sighed as she spared him one more glance, draping one arm comfortably over his back.

"Sleep tight, pup." She said, allowing for the first time in a long time a gentle smile to lift her lips, "I missed you too."

…

**AN:** Cute, right? :D It's about time she started kind of, sort of warming up to him…I hope you all enjoyed the latest installment, and hopefully I won't take such a horribly long time to update next time (I guarantee nothing with this crazy life I live)! My muse seems to be back for now, so that's a good start…although, I still have school and work to worry about, so please keep that in mind when/if it takes me forever to update again. :3

Chapter 24 is up next, buuuut unfortunately I haven't picked out a title that I like for it yet, so I got nothing for you. :/ Sorry!


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